


Tamers Requiem, book 1: Hazard's Sorrow

by Crazyeight



Series: Tamers Requiem [1]
Category: Digimon - All Media Types, Digimon Tamers
Genre: Action/Adventure, Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Character Death, Comfort/Angst, F/M, Friendship/Love, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-26
Updated: 2016-08-10
Packaged: 2018-07-26 19:47:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 36
Words: 139,106
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7587469
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Crazyeight/pseuds/Crazyeight
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Guilmon is killed in battle, and in desperation Takato rescans his drawing. Only something doesn't come out quite the way he had expected...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. A Cup of Pain

_"GUILMON!"_

The cry tore out of Takato's throat as he watched the shards of data float away from him. In spite of the pain that ripped through his body, Takato staggered to his feet, reaching out towards the shards as though he could stop them from disappearing. In sheer desperation, Takato lunged after them, but was stopped as a strong arm wrapped itself around him, pulling him back, trying to get him away from the danger that was still there. Takato didn't take any notice of it however, and he lunged forward once again, tears streaming down his face, more cries that were little more than bestial roars of anguish erupted from his mouth as he struggled against the arm that held him. He didn't have a chance however, and his feet soon found the absence of ground beneath them as he was hauled up and back, being carried away from the battle as the voice of the enemy, the digimon that broke through the barriers between the real and digital worlds and attacked the Tamers, resounded upon the air, not in laughter, but rather as though it had accomplished what it saw as a simple duty. Cleaning out the trash. Nothing more than a job that had to be done quickly and gotten over with, and then wash its hands clean afterwards. Takato really didn't hear much of it. All he saw was his friend's data, floating towards the sky, drifting apart bit by bit as it rose until finally, the individual pieces were separated entirely from the others and disappeared all together. Gone. Just like that.

_How could this happen?_ Thought Takato deliriously, desperately hoping that it was all just some bad dream and that he'd wake up. That he'd wake up in bed and see his reptilian partner next to him, and that he'd wake up, sensing Takato's disturbance from his rest and ask him what was up. He might even tell him, and Guilmon would comfort him, and then they'd both laugh about it afterwards, say how dreams couldn't hurt them, and then laugh again at a joke that only they, and perhaps their friend Rika, could only appreciate. Right after she glared at them that is.

_It_ can't _be happening! This is just a bad dream! I know it is!_

Reality however, continued to say otherwise, and the pain of it settled down brutally, crushing him down under its harsh weight. The image of their enemy in front of him, mocking him, almost providing an ironic joke for everything that Takato and his friends had fought for. It couldn't end like this. It shouldn't have! Takato had promised Guilmon! He had promised him that they'd always…!

It was too much. Takato let out another roar of anguish, not trying to hide it, not trying to hold it in, in spite of his own promise to himself that it wouldn't happen again. Not after what had happened the last time he lost control of himself.

And the day had started off so well too…


	2. A Look Back: Part 1

The day that had started out so well for Takato Matsuki was one of those fine days in the springtime, approximately three weeks after the train digimon Locomon ran through Shinjuku followed up shortly afterwards by the Parasimon invasion. Takato was sleeping in his bed, completely dead to the world, one hand dangling over the edge of his bed while his partner, the crimson raptor known as Guilmon, snored away, occasionally twitching in his sleep and muttering something that sounded along the lines of _Takatomon digivolve_ and _Guilmon bread_. This latter was usually preceded by sounds of satisfaction and some slight smacking at the mouth. As stated, Takato was unaware of Guilmon's dreams, even when the poor dino occasionally bit his own clawed hand. Fortunately for the boy, Guilmon never woke up from those less than playful nips and both were able to continue sleeping soundly as the faint rays of sunlight drifted through the sliding door that led out to a balcony. All seemed right with the world…

_"Takato!"_

Well, at least for a little while.

Takato's eyes snapped open and he sat up, sleep disappearing almost immediately as adrenaline flooded his system. Disoriented, Takato took a look around, half wondering if he and Guilmon were under attack by a crazed digimon. For all he knew he might be. The state that his room was in certainly made him draw that conclusion.

_No. Wait. It's always like that…_

Taking another look around, Takato didn't see anything in his vicinity that looked like a threat, and just as he was about to conclude that whatever it was that had startled him out of his rest was all a part of his dream, he heard the thundering sound of footsteps coming up the stairs leading to his room. Fear settled in his brain as he realized with dawning realization as to what it was, Takato tried to get up.

Only to find that his legs were stuck beneath Guilmon.

"Aaah! Guilmon!" Said the boy as desperation began to settle on him. Takato shook his partner, trying to get a reaction out of his companion. "C'mon boy! You've got to wake up!"

The red dinosaur cracked one gold colored eye open, looking sleepily at Takato before speaking.

"Morning already?"

Takato just nodded furiously and tried to shove his partner off his legs.

"Yeah. Now come on! You've got to…"

_"Takato!"_

Takato's door slammed open, startling Guilmon into standing up. Takato, with reflexes born from having to deal with wild digimon on an almost constant basis managed to pull his legs out and he swung himself onto the ladder of his bed and jumped down just as soon as his mother entered the room.

Only to have his legs give out a second later. Takato crashed to the floor like a heap of bricks.

"Ouch," said Takato suddenly realizing what had happened. _Legs fell asleep…_

Mei Matsuki, Takato's mother, just stared at her chaotic son before shaking her head, a small smile on her face as she did so.

"Takato, are you just going to sleep in all day or are you actually going to get up and enjoy some of this sun?"

"Well," said Takato as he rubbed some feeling back into his legs, the harsh tingle of circulation making the boy wince out of discomfort. "That's actually not a bad idea…"

"Takato!"

The boy sighed and smiled his usual, lopsided grin.

"All right Mom. All right… do you and Dad need any help around the bakery?"

Mei just shook her head.

"Not at the moment Takato, thanks for the offer though. We might need you later in the afternoon, but thanks to your sleeping in you missed out on the morning rush. As usual."

"Well, it is the weekend…" Takato muttered as he scratched the back of his head.

"I heard that. At any rate, I'd like you to be back around one to man the cash register."

Takato smiled.

"Sure Mom."

"But first," said Guilmon gleefully from atop Takato's bed. "Some food!"

Mei just smirked at the dino.

* * *

Guilmon waited for Takato downstairs while the boy dressed. Tugging on his blue hoody shirt Takato took a look around and quickly found his goggles where he had left them on his desk. Picking them up and strapping them on, Takato took a brief moment to take a look outside before returning his gaze to his desk, smiling at the picture of Guilmon that he had been working on yesterday and at a picture of him and two of his friends Rika and Henry from that time he visited his cousin Kai for a week and had that huge battle with Gulfmon. A pretty interesting time to be sure, helped by the fact that he hadn't had to hide Guilmon from Kai (even though it had started out with that intention) and fun too. At least when they weren't having to deal with rogue digimon. And of course there was the fact that the battle had brought in Omnimon. At least according to Rika and Henry, since he had to transport them, being forbidden to interfere directly in the real world. Which Takato found sort of strange but he supposed that the mighty Mega digimon had his reasons for it. Takato took one last look at the picture, smiling at it before he turned and left the room, faintly wondering how Rika had been able to explain away her sudden absence from Shinjuku when everything went down.

Shrugging it off, Takato closed the door behind him, a bright and cheerful smile on his face and he headed downstairs to join his partner so that together, they could join the world in another one of its daily cycles. As he passed the door leading to the bakery's kitchen, Takato's thoughts were characteristically optimistic.

_Today's going to be a good day._

* * *

 

Takato and Guilmon easily made their way to Shinjuku Park without any sense of worry about having to keep the red dinosaur hidden. The people around his home area were long used to the sight of Guilmon, having become the official mascot of the Matsuki bakery that was selling the now highly famous (at least in Shinjuku) _Guilmon Bread_. Takato smiled as he remembered the reactions of his two friends, Kazu and Kenta when they heard about how popular it was becoming. Kazu at least, had all but demanded a cut of the profits for having come up with the name, or at least make it so that he got the credit for it.

It was sort of amusing watching Kazu get frustrated like that. He always had a way of jumping on anything that got him attention and enabled him to inflate his already massive ego, though usually it revolved around saving the city from rampaging digimon or doing something that impressed Ryo when he was around.

Next to him, Guilmon nuzzled the bag of day old bread that Takato had packed, sniffing at it cautiously before making an attempt to plunge his face into it to get at the delicious delicacies that lay within.

_"Ahhh!"_ Exclaimed Takato as he pulled the bag away from his partner, a couple loafs of bread tumbling out. Guilmon snagged one of them out of mid air and scarfed it down and immediately grabbed the other one that lay on the dirt ground. "Guilmon!"

"What?" Asked the red dino in between mouthfuls of bread. Takato looked at his partner with an exasperated expression, though the smile on his face told Guilmon that he really wasn't upset with him.

"Guilmon, this bag is supposed to hold you over until lunchtime. You can't go scarfing this stuff down whenever you feel like it; especially with the way you eat. And what have I told you about asking first before you go doing things like that?"

Guilmon's wing like ears drooped slightly.

"Sorry Takato. It's just that whenever I see food my brain goes all funny on me."

Takato laughed lightly and rubbed his partners head with one hand.

"Yeah, don't I know it boy? C'mon. Let's go by your old place. I'm pretty sure that we'll find some of the others there."

"I hope so…" said Guilmon wistfully. He always enjoyed these visits to his old home. He had stopped living there after Takato's parents had learned about Guilmon's existence and the general populace had gotten used to seeing him as the Bakery's mascot made it less important to keep the reptile hidden (the only exception being when he was traveling somewhere where his presence wasn't as well known). Sometimes Takato wondered if Guilmon missed living in his old concrete hut, though he couldn't really understand why. Well, maybe he could. It was after all the first place that he had called his home, and he had spent quite a lot of time there. So far Guilmon hadn't shown much desire to go back, but that might have been because he didn't want to be parted from Takato now that they were able to hang out at the Matsuki Bakery. Despite the change in residence, it didn't stop Takato, Guilmon, or any of the other Tamers from hanging out there whenever the fancy took them, which was often in their case. It had been their meeting place when they first started working together as a group, and it would no doubt remain so until some digimon showed up and turned it into rubble.

Soon enough, the pair of friends arrived at the stairs that would take them up to the stone hut and they began their ascent, smiles on both of their faces. No worries shadowed their hearts, and thoughts of any wild digimon were far from their minds.

* * *

As they passed over the last few steps that led to the concrete shack Takato was proven right for a change. Most of the other Tamers were there. Rika, Henry, Kazu, Kenta, Jeri, and even Suzie were there with their partner digimon. Rika and Henry were currently engaged in a Digimon card battle while Kazu and Kenta looked on, interrupting every so often with a bad joke or some comment about a specific play that was being made, earning them several glares from the red headed Tamer that sat across from Henry, who took it all with a small smile. Next to Rika, Jeri giggled as she raised her hand with the sock puppet and woofed at the boys, telling them that they had best watch themselves around Rika. Takato looked at his partner and together they approached the group.

"Hey guys," said Takato as he set down his bag and sat down next to Jeri.

"Well, look who _finally_ decided to show up," said Rika sarcastically. "What took you so long, Gogglehead? Did you go into a coma or something?"

Takato rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

"Sorry. I overslept. My Mom had to bang on my door to get me to wake up…"

"The way you sleep I'm surprised that she was successful," muttered a certain long eared digimon.

"Terriermon…" began Henry as he fixed his rabbit like partner with a warning glare.

"Momentai Henry," said Terriermon. "You've got to admit though, Takato _does_ sleep like the dead."

"Not as much as Kazu and Kenta I'll bet," said Rika as she returned her attention to her cards. "As I recall, they slept through the Jagamon stampede when we were in the digital world."

"Hey!" Cried the two boys indignantly.

"Well it's true."

Takato leaned back, remembering their first day in the digital world, and the Meramon who had met his fate at the hands of the Jagamon. He didn't like that that had happened, but he guessed that it was to be expected since Meramon had started attacking them.

_It sure wasn't how the digital world was depicted in the TV show,_ thought Takato. He found it a little bit strange that the show and the card game had gotten every other detail right except for that one. Takato found it a little disturbing, but he supposed that there would have been some kind of public outcry from parents, especially in America, had the real version of the digital world been shown on TV. Maybe the idea of the digital world as such a harsh place wasn't appealing for a kids show. But then they still showed digimon attacking just about everything that moved, and having the Digidestined actually _kill_ some of those digimon was a kind of strange irony.

"So what's everyone been up to?" Asked Takato. With a smirk on his face, Terriermon jumped up onto the boy's head and giggled childishly.

"Haven't you been using your eyes, Takatomon?" Asked Terriermon. "There's a game going on here. Henry's actually been giving the Digimon Queen a challenge for once. Sure, she still has the lead over him but I think that he might actually be able to beat her…"

Suddenly Rika laid down a Sakuyamon card over her Taomon with a triumphant smirk. Terriermon's face fell at the sight of it.

"… Or not."

Within the time space of a few seconds, Rika had wrapped up her match with Henry and collected her cards. Shuffling them Rika looked around at the group, not once losing her smirk.

"So," the red headed Tamer began, her voice taking on a rather superior sound to it. "Who's next?"

Takato smiled as he looked at his friends, a sense of contentment filling his heart as the day truly began.

_Some things never change…_

* * *

Takato flopped down on his back with a groan, taking a moment to look up at the sky as he felt the weight of defeat settle on his shoulders like a heavy chain and dragging him down. It was something that he was used to though, so he didn't really think about it that much.

"You guys aren't much of a challenge," said Rika in false disdain. Takato had just been her latest victim in her long string of victories for the day, starting with Kazu and Kenta, then going to Henry and Jeri, then back to Kazu, and at present ending with Takato. The only one of them so far who had really given the Digimon Queen any serious trouble besides Henry was Jeri. Kazu had once accused Rika of going easy on Jeri but his accusation didn't really bear any fruit. Mostly because he never said it to Rika's face.

"Well, this is more of your game than ours," said Henry.

"This from the guy who's a Tamer," joked Terriermon as he climbed up onto his partner's shoulder.

"Gotta admit, Rabbitmon's got a point there."

"Oh great," muttered Terriermon. "Isn't that a sign of the Apocalypse or something?"

"It wouldn't be the first time," quipped Henry with a laugh.

After this was said, Jeri Katou stood up.

"Well, I'd better be going," she said.

Takato sat up and raised an eyebrow.

"Going? Going where?"

"My Father said that he was going to need my help at the restaurant today, so I couldn't stay out for very long. I told him that I'd be back before lunch."

Takato's face fell a little bit. He had been hoping to see more of Jeri today, especially since he only just got here. But there was no use fighting the inevitable, at least in this case. Gathering up his cards, Takato stood up.

"Hey Jeri?"

Jeri looked at Takato with a soft smile.

"Yeah?"

Feeling some slight amount of heat crawl across his face, Takato rubbed the back of his head nervously and mentally crossed his fingers. Here was hoping that he didn't suddenly lose his nerve.

"Uh… I was just wondering if I could... um… walk you there?"

Behind him, Takato could hear Kazu, Kenta and… was that Terriermon?… snickering, and the heat on his face increased two-fold. Well… here was one more reason to hope that Jeri said yes.

Takato's faith was rewarded with a nod from the brown haired girl, and Takato mentally cheered while at the same time his heart, which seemed to have forgotten to do its job for a minute, thumped hard in his chest.

* * *

Henry watched Takato and Jeri go with a smile on his face before looking over at Kazu and Kenta trying desperately to hold in their laughter (it was hard to tell which of them was making the greater effort. The difference was so fine you could probably split hairs on it). Takato had promised that he'd be back once he saw Jeri safely to her family's restaurant (though he didn't exactly say it that way, the others got what he meant). It was kind of nice to see Takato show so much care for one person.

"Awww…" began Terriermon. "Isn't that sweet? Takatomon's walking his girlfriend home…"

With a laugh, Henry raised his hand and rapped his partner on his head.

"Terriermon…"

"What? C'mon Henry! You see it! I see it! The dope twins over there see it…"

_"Hey!"_ Once more a cry of indignation from Kazu and Kenta. They were starting to sound like a broken record, and even Rika had described them as such. Terriermon continued with his point.

"… Heck, even _Rika_ sees it! And if _she_ can see it than it _must_ be obvious."

Rika snorted but didn't really say or do anything else beyond that for a response.

"The only two people who don't seem to see it just left this area. Sometimes I wish that they'd confess and get it over with."

"Yeah, but where's the fun in that?" Asked Kazu. "It's fun watching chumley get all flustered over Jeri. Man, I don't know what he sees in her."

"Still, it is kind of nice," said Henry. "What do you think Rika?"

Rika was quiet for a moment as she thought it over.

"Yeah, it's nice. But don't expect me to get all touchy-feely about it."

Henry chuckled.

"Don't worry…"

* * *

 

The sun shone brightly over the city of Shinjuku. On this fine day in the springtime, one wouldn't have thought that anything could disturb the tranquility that the populace felt. Not even the Tamers who stood on guard to protect the fair city from danger.


	3. A Look Back: Part 2

A red circle like signal lit up on Hypnos's monitoring screen as it sifted through the layers of data that made up the Earth's Internet, keeping an eye out for any anomalies that could conceivably come from that strange and mysterious other dimension known as the digital world. This signal was not met with any gratitude from the staff that kept an eye on the screens, and a second later another signal, this one resembling three orbs connected together by a triangle, intercepted the red one, and vanished as soon as contact was made. The red signal continued onwards unabated, it's destination known only to those who worked within the dark recesses of Hypnos.

"Yuggoth has been destroyed," reported a female technician with long red hair and a metallic visor covering her face.

The sound of a lighter being flicked closed in irritation was heard, as below the pedestal that supported the chairs of the red haired technician known as Riley and her assistant, Tally, Yamaki, the head of Hypnos, growled in frustration. It looked like once again a Wild One, was preparing to breach the barriers that stood between the real and digital worlds and he was powerless to prevent it. It looked like once more he was going to have to rely on their _unofficial associates_ , the group of children known as the Tamers, to do the hard work of dealing with the digimon should it become a danger to its surrounding environs, which was, sadly, most often the case.

Pulling out his cell phone, the blonde haired man flicked open his lighter once more as he dialed the number of the only Tamer that he could reach more immediately than any of the others, and hope that the rest were with her.

Yamaki's eyes went to the screen once more as the phone rang, analyzing the data as it came in. The power levels that this digimon were giving off were higher than what its perceived level was according to the scans. If this digimon turned violent, it would no doubt cause immense devastation if the Tamers couldn't handle it immediately.

Finally there was a click on the other end as the female Tamer known as Rika Nonaka answered. Yamaki steeled himself for the news that he was about to deliver to her.

* * *

Takato, and Jeri, walked through the streets, with Guilmon walking a short ways behind them as though he understood the need to leave these two alone while at the same time being their unofficial chaperon. Guilmon watched them with curiosity, remembering some of the things that Terriermon had told him about boys reacted around girls that they liked. In the past, Takato had lived up to Terriermon's expectations of being nervous and clumsy (and not to forget red faced), though Guilmon didn't really understand why this was so. If his partner liked Jeri in the way that Terriermon had said he did then why didn't he just tell her? It would probably make things a lot easier in the long run for him to just get it off his chest. Guilmon had only the faintest of notions of emotions like love, but if Takato's feelings for Jeri were like how Guilmon felt about bread than the reptile guessed that that was love, only without the eating part. Guilmon found it rather silly that Takato would get nervous around Jeri and as such a memory came to him concerning a conversation that he had with a familiar white digimon that closely resembled a creampuff known as Calumon.

_"Being afraid is kind of like skating on sausages…"_

Guilmon took this as perhaps the wisest thing he had ever heard in his life, and he took it to heart. The way that Calumon explained things sometimes made a lot of sense to him, probably because the way he said them was so simple.

With a shake of his head, Guilmon continued to follow his two friends, oblivious to the danger that was fast approaching.

* * *

Takato and Jeri walked in silence, the latter in calm serenity while the former with an air of tension. Takato was nervous and justly so. During these many months that he had known the puppet-loving girl since his time as a Tamer began, Takato had grown a to develop a crush on her, which had ebbed and flowed as time went on, but it was always constant and strong. Once more, for what had to be the hundredth time since that time on the train after their return from the digital world, Takato thought about telling her how he felt for her. As usual though, his desire to do so was held back by the apprehension that came with such thoughts, complete with an increase in his heart rate; fear that she would say that she didn't like him in that way, as she had done so back when Guilmon first digivolved to Growlmon (even though he had been talking about an entirely different thing from what she had thought). Of course, that wouldn't happen, right? She had hugged him back when he had rescued her from D-Reaper so that had to count for something. And she had shown a lot of concern for him back during the Deva invasions…

_C'mon Matsuki,_ thought Takato as he tried to seize control over his emotions long enough to be able to say something coherant. _You can do this! You can take on gigantic, city destroying, monsters but you can't tell Jeri how you feel about her?_

Takato took a deep breath, feeling his heart pause long enough for him to gather up his courage and say something, anything in order to break the silence.

He got about as far as "Hey Jeri" when fate once more took it in hand to interrupt him.

Guilmon halted in his stride behind Takato and Jeri, his eyes dilating as a low growl emanated from his throat as he spun around and crouched low to the ground. Takato heard this and immediately knew what this meant, as Guilmon became this way prior to a digimon's bio-emergence into the real world. Before Takato or his digivice could fully register and react to the occurrence the ground erupted as a digimon tore through the barriers relentlessly, causing Jeri to scream, startled by its suddenness. As a digital field began to settle over the area, Takato found himself holding onto Jeri in a hug, protecting her with his body in preparation for whatever might be waiting in the mists, but his brain, now surging with adrenaline, only barely registered this fact and he quickly removed himself, his hands reaching for his D-Arc and cards. The air had a feeling of tension to it, and a strange silence permeated the air. He didn't know how he knew this, but Takato felt certain that whatever digimon was held within the depths of the digital field, it was powerful.

"Takato?" Jeri whispered, nervousness clear in her voice. Takato turned to her, his crimson eyes becoming hard as he steeled himself for the battle that was ahead.

"Jeri! Get the others as quickly as you can!"

The girl nodded in understanding and quickly took off, throwing one last look over her shoulder before she departed the digital field and headed in the direction of Guilmon's old home, hoping that the other Tamers at least knew by now that there was trouble…

* * *

Takato had stepped up to Guilmon's side as soon as Jeri had left and after he had pulled his goggles down over his eyes the pair began to move carefully into the digital field, keeping a sharp eye out for whatever digimon it was that had entered into the real world. It didn't take them long to find it.

Takato was actually surprised, and at first almost comforted by it by its appearance, but experience had taught him enough to remember to be on his guard around wild digimon, no matter what they looked like. The digimon appeared to be a child perhaps no older than Takato himself. He had a round face, thick golden hair, and piercing blue eyes that held a commanding presence to them. Twelve angelic wings, eight emerging from his back, two from his hair, and two more from his robe garbed waist, held him aloft as he surveyed his surroundings as though he were lord of all that he surveyed. Golden bracelets and anklets adorned his wrists and ankles, and on his left hand was imprinted a symbol that Takato was all too familiar with. The Digital Hazard.

Takato raised his D-Arc and scanned the digimon, but only got as far as its name before its voice, cold, commanding, and hard like stone caught his attention. Takato found himself trapped in the boys gaze.

"I am Lucemon," said the angelic child. "I have searched long and traveled far, looking for the spore of the Great Dragon. I have found its trail to lead to this world and now I…"

The digimon that had identified itself as _Lucemon_ finally noticed the red dinosaur that stood next to Takato, and the hazard sign that was emblazoned on its chest. Lucemon's eyes widened in fury and he slowly began to raise his hands upwards.

"Boy," said Lucemon, speaking to Takato. "You are standing next to a virus digimon, who may very well be the Great Dragon that I was searching for. If you do not wish to be hurt, I suggest that you leave this area immediately."

Takato blinked while Guilmon fixed Lucemon with a questioning stare.

"Wha…? Who? Guilmon? But why would you want to hurt him? He's my friend."

Lucemon's eyes narrowed as his body began to glow.

"So be it. _Grand Cross!"_

* * *

 Henry, Rika, and the others ran through the parks path after they had gotten Yamaki's message. Renamon shadow shifting next to them, keeping pace as they went while above them Guardromon covered the air. Led by the signal that their digivices were receiving. It didn't take them long before they met up with Jeri, who was just arriving at the edge of the park.

"Rika! Henry! There's…"

"We know!" Cut off Rika quickly, her dials already tuned to the max as Jeri joined their crowd. "We're headed there now!"

Jeri gave a quick nod.

"Takato's already…" began Jeri, but she was once more interrupted as an explosion shook the ground beneath the Tamers feet, kicking up a massive amount of dust and debris into the air that was easily visible from where the Tamers had now halted as they took in the scene.

Kazu turned to Jeri.

"You were saying?"

* * *

Gallantmon landed heavily on the pavement, breathing harshly as he tried to gather his strength. His armor battered and rent in multiple places, and within the crimson data sphere that lay inside the armored knight, Takato winced in pain but was grateful to still be alive after that attack that Lucemon had launched at him. Both himself and Guilmon had been saved by a last minute biomerge, but unfortunately they weren't quick enough to get out of the way of the attack. They had only enough time to raise their shield and take the full brunt of the blow, which surprisingly had been strong enough to overpower them and send them flying backwards.

Gasping for air, Takato looked through the golden eyes of Gallantmon and tried to recall what he knew about Lucemon from the card game. The only thing that he could come up with was his level and type.

_That was a pretty strong attack for a rookie, but then he is a vaccine type. Still doesn't explain why I feel like I've been run over by a GrandLocomon though. A digimon at that low of a level shouldn't be able to do scratch me much less hurt me unless…_

Takato's musings were interrupted as he noticed Lucemon glowing once more, preparing to attack once again and in response Gallantmon raised his lance. If that first shot was any indication Takato had to stop him from making a second attempt.

_"Lightning Joust!"_

A bolt of lightning erupted from Gallantmon's lance, streaking towards Lucemon, who was observing the virus knight with a look of bemusement on his face. The lightning surged closer, and closer and Lucemon just hovered in the air, completely unconcerned with it, as though it were beneath his notice. Finally, at the last minute Lucemon simply moved a little to the left, the attack harmlessly passing between his wings. In his data sphere, Takato gasped in surprise.

_No way…_

Lucemon stared at Gallantmon with a calculating look.

"So," he said calmly, as though he weren't at all engaged in a battle but rather in conversation. A less then friendly conversation. "The Great Beast has merged with a human and become a Royal Knight has he? How disgusting! You offend me _Gallantmon_. You are something that is not meant to exist, and as long as you do you threaten everything that lives…"

"Why don't we just talk about this?" Asked Gallantmon in the dual voices of Takato and Guilmon. "Why do you want to destroy us? What makes you think that we're a threat? We protect both the real world and the digital world!"

Lucemon just stared at Gallantmon with a bored expression, as though he were listening to some ignorant child.

"Don't pretend that you don't know what I'm talking about. The power that you unleashed while you were in the digital world, the rage… it was felt _everywhere_ , and it was observed by all who stand high in the ranks of the mighty. Everyone knows the name of the great dragon that shook the digital world…"

Lucemon paused, as though he were waiting for dramatic tension before continuing.

"… _Megidramon_." The angel finished, the name carrying on the air as though it were a death sentence. In his data sphere, Takato felt shock fill his system but he recovered quickly.

"You don't understand…" began Gallantmon, but Lucemon interrupted him. He spoke flatly, his words uncaring and carrying a heavy weight to them, putting everything, all blame on the exalted knight.

"I don't have to."

Lucemon once more glowed, and before Gallantmon could stop him, spheres appeared around Lucemon resembling the planets and sun of Earth's solar system, arranged in a cross. Spreading his arms wide quickly the cross launched at Gallantmon, leaving him once more with no time to get out of the way.

_"Grand Cross!"_

* * *

 Jeri waited at the edge of the park, her hands clenched as she waited for the others to come back with news about what was going on The others had told her to stay behind so that she wouldn't be hurt, and she had agreed, though she found herself once more wishing that she still had Leomon with her, knowing that there was nothing that she could do to rectify his situation. She just felt so _useless_ right now…

Suddenly Jeri gasped as she felt a small pain sting her heart, and suddenly she felt worried for her friends, and for one in particular.

_Takato…_

* * *

 The other Tamers finally came onto the battlefield and were stunned at the sight in front of them. Gallantmon lay on the ground, his shield, lance, and armor a shattered ruin. Data leaked out of every rent and tear in his body, but that wasn't the worst part.

Gallantmon wasn't moving.

The Tamers attention was suddenly focused on the glowing form of an angelic child, looking coolly at the fallen knight, as though he had merely been doing a dirty chore.

"So lies the Great Dragon," said Lucemon calmly. "Helpless. Once I have finished with this being, and made sure that he will trouble the digital world no longer, I shall cleanse this world of _all_ viruses before returning home. And then, I shall ensure that there will _finally_ be peace…"

Renamon tensed as she sensed Rika's anger seeping through the bond that they shared. Turning to the girl, Renamon saw that she was gripping her D-Arc fiercely and was already raising it to the sky, no doubt preparing to biomerge. Renamon was more than willing to go along. Looking to her right she saw Henry pull a blue card from his deck box, and at first wondered about it before realizing that MegaGargomon's power and size might not be suitable in a situation like this. Lucemon was too small a target and the streets were much too narrow for the fortress Mega to afford to go all out as he normally did. If they got Lucemon away from the city than that would no doubt tell a different story but for now Sakuyamon would be the preferred Mega digimon to be involved in this fight, being of appropriate size for combat in this environment. Terriermon, as Rapidmon would run interference with his superior speed while she and Rika, with their level and type advantage went in to finish the job.

Rika's call of evolution interrupted Renamon's thoughts and the next thing she knew was a surge of energy as the light of evolution overcame her.

* * *

_"Takato…"_

Takato groaned in his data sphere, feeling horribly tired. Too exhausted to really respond properly to the pain that he could feel ripping through his body. Not too exhausted however to hear Guilmon as he tried to get his attention. But… there was something wrong here. Why did everything look so… _dark_?

_Guilmon?_

_"Takato… I'm… I'm sorry… I can't… I can't hold our Mega form… anymore._

Takato shook his head, trying to get some strength flowing. He felt so tired, and Guilmon sounded worse off than he was. Just how bad were they hurt? What was going on right now?

_Guilmon? Are you…?_

_"… So… sleepy…right now…sleepy… Ta…kat…o… … …"_

_Guilmon?_

_…_

_Guilmon?_

_…_

_…_

_Guilmon! Guilmon!!!_

And suddenly the world turned white.

* * *

Sakuyamon rushed towards the Lucemon, anger contorting her face as she raised her bronze staff in a wide arc, preparing to unleash her Amethyst Mandala attack. Lucemon didn't even seem to notice her or the green android known as Rapidmon as they closed in on him, too intent on powering himself for his next attack. If she could just get there in time she could stop him…

Suddenly a white light erupted from the fallen form of Gallantmon, stopping everyone in their tracks. As the light died down, Rika gasped from within her data sphere, registering Renamon's shock as well as the Royal Knights form first fragmented, and then burst apart, leaving behind a crimson data sphere that contained…

_"Takato!"_ Shouted Sakuyamon and she flew towards him, the data sphere tearing itself apart before dropping him unceremoniously to the ground, back to his normal self, though a little battered now. Shock registered on his features as Sakuyamon landed next to him as he reached towards the data that drifted away from him, tears starting to stream down his face in one mad rush, and he gave voice to a primal cry of anguish as he called for his partner's name. For the first time Sakuyamon noticed that there was no sign of Guilmon.

_"Guilmon!"_

Takato surged to his feet, almost stumbling as though he were experiencing some great pain. On instinct Sakuyamon grabbed him and tried to pull him back, but he just threw himself forward again. Sakuyamon held fast though, aided by the almost unnatural strength that her Mega form gave her. The others were running towards them now, intent on seeing as to whether their friend was all right.

And through it all was Lucemon's voice as he rose in the air, calm, serene, speaking as though he had done his duty, not caring in the least what he had just taken away.

"And so ends the Beast of the Hazard…"

Something in Sakuyamon snapped.

And the day had started off so well…


	4. The Dam Breaks

Sakuyamon's face trailed up to Lucemon as he rose into the air. Her Vajra staff slowly rose up in time with the angel's own ascension, pushing Takato into the arms of her friends as she did so. In her blue data sphere Rika vaguely heard herself saying something to the other Tamers about keeping Takato out of the way but she felt such fury, such anger rising in the depths of her soul over what she had just witnessed that afterwards she wouldn't be able to recall having done so. Sakuyamon's staff slashed downwards, releasing an unstoppable torrent of violet energy that surged towards Lucemon as a anguished battle cry escaped the Shaman's mouth.

_"Amethyst Mandala!"_

* * *

 Lucemon's eyes registered surprise at the attack just before it struck him, sending the angelic boy flailing in the air as he was battered repeatedly by the sheer power that tore at him. Finally, with a cry of anger, Lucemon's bracelets and anklets glowed, releasing energy that blew apart Sakuyamon's attack. Taking a breath, Lucemon turned to face the Tamers, his eyes narrowing…

The next thing he saw was a _very_ angry looking Sakuyamon flying towards him, the Vajra staff in her hands pulled back as though it were a baseball bat. Soon enough, the staff dominated his vision and a sickening pain crashed home into the angel's head. This was soon followed by another blow, and another, and then another before Lucemon, reacting on pure instinct, caught the next intended blow with his left hand, while his right delivered an energy blast at the Mega level Shaman, only to curse a second later as she swiftly dodged the attack and launch in at him again with a series of four fox spirits. The fox spirits tore at the boys robe and clawed at his exposed skin before he blew them away with the radiant glow of his bracelets. Fixing the Sakuyamon with a glare that could bore holes into mountains he was about to demand the reason for her attacking him when he heard the whistle of missiles homing in on him.

_"Rapid Fire!"_

The missiles crashed home, eliciting a cry of pain from the angel, and the second's distraction that they caused was more than enough time for Sakuyamon to charge at him again, swinging her staff at Lucemon with murderous force.

* * *

Henry was finding it hard to believe what he had just seen happen. He was still trying to fully comprehend it in fact. Guilmon had been destroyed, Kenta and Kazu were currently wrestling with Takato, trying to get him to stay in one place, but apparently his friend's perception of the world had just turned into one big denial to the reality of the situation. Finally, Takato let out another cry of anguish and he fell to his knees, tears falling from his eyes and hitting the ground. Henry could practically feel his friend's pain, and it was made all the worse just seeing him like this. Looking back up at the fight that was raging above them, he saw Lucemon try to take down Sakuyamon with a Grand Cross attack, but was interrupted by Rapidmon's Tri-Beam as the android flew in and fired it off, point-blank. The strength of the explosion sent Lucemon flying, not on his wings, towards the direction of the park. Taking a quick look over her shoulder to see how Rapidmon was fairing, and seeing that he was all right (though a little worse for wear due to his proximity to his own attack. Digging into his deck box, Henry pulled out a Seed of Health card and quickly slid it through his D-Arc to heal his partner from the damage that he had taken, and soon enough the emerald android joined Sakuyamon in chasing down Lucemon, who was even now recovering from the up close and personal attack and had used his wings to stop his decent. Henry's eyes followed his comrades before sliding over to Lucemon, noting to his growing horror that the angel was glowing once more, a facsimile of the earth's solar system aligned in a cross forming in front of him. Henry quickly dug into his deck box, searching for the right card that could hopefully defend both Rapidmon and Sakuyamon from the devastating power of that attack. Pulling out a handful of cards, Henry bit back a curse as he saw that not a single one of them had what he needed. He had to hurry before it was too…

Henry's eye twitched as he caught what looked like a singular contrail in the sky as it shot towards the battle, aimed at Lucemon. As it neared, Henry a flash of light being reflected off of metal, and what looked like a fluttering red… cape? No, more like a scarf… Henry now knew what… _who_ it was that had joined the fight.

As if to confirm the identity of the newcomer, a triumphant voice echoed upon the air as it pronounced its attack, and a flare of blue energy erupted from the figure, engulfing Lucemon in a tidal wave of energy blasts.

_"Justice Burst!"_

Three guesses as to who it is.

* * *

Sakuyamon once again took advantage of Lucemon's distraction to throw another Spirit Strike attack at the angel, and he screamed in pain and frustration as he was bombarded continuously by three attacking digimon. Out of the corner of her eye, Sakuyamon saw Justimon come soaring in like a homing missile and deliver a brutal roundhouse kick to Lucemon, sending him falling towards a nearby rooftop while Rapidmon sent a pair of missiles in pursuit, impacting a second later with enough force to finish his journey as gravity lay claim to his fragile looking form. Taking advantage of his brief contact with Lucemon, Justimon used the force of his blow to rebound at an angle that would take him directly towards where Lucemon had fallen, pausing briefly to salute Sakuyamon in that charming way of his as he greeted her; oblivious to what had happened earlier.

"Hey there, _Princess_!"

Sakuyamon, for her part, didn't give Justimon any indication that she had even heard him, focusing instead on Lucemon and following him to the top of the building that he had impacted on. Justimon mostly shrugged it off, as she tended to be indifferent or angered by either his presence or the things he said, which was part of the reason why he enjoyed needling her so much. Still, Justimon couldn't help but feel an aura of barely suppressed rage about the Shaman digimon and wonder about it. Justimon landed just in time to see Lucemon beginning to haul himself up into a sitting position. Justimon was just beginning to raise his arm to fire off a Justice Burst when Sakuyamon landed on the angelic boy, crushing him to the ground with one high-healed boot and raising the pointed part of her Vajra staff above him as though it were a spear. Her mouth was set in a grim line, bordering on an animal like snarl.

For some reason, Justimon was not liking what he was seeing.

" _This one's for Guilmon…"_ whispered Sakuyamon under her breath as she raised her staff, the point pointing at Lucemon's chest. The staff fell…

Only to be stopped by Justimon's cybernetic arm as it gripped Sakuyamon's staff, the point just barely touching. Sakuyamon struggled with the other Mega for a moment, trying to force her staff downwards before finally wrenching it away from him and fixing Justimon with a glare. For a moment, a brief moment, Ryo saw the force of the anger that lay in the other Tamer's soul and wondered just what it was that had caused it.

"Ryo…" grated the Shaman digimon in a voice that could have crushed bolders with its intensity. "I'm only going to say this once; _back… off!_ "

In his data sphere, Ryo shook his head in stunned amazement. He couldn't recall ever seeing Sakuyamon, or rather, Rika, this angry before. Not when he had first beaten her at the card tournament all those years ago, and not even when they had met again in the digital world a year afterwards.

"Sakuyamon," began Justimon. "Normally I wouldn't complain about deleting a wild digimon…" this was true. Justimon had done more than his fair share in both the digital world and the real world. But there was something about this time, something about the way that Sakuyamon was handling it that seemed somehow… _wrong_ to him. All his instincts, Cyberdramon's included, were screaming at him that something terrible had to have happened to make Sakuyamon act like this. She looked like she was just about to murder Lucemon, rather then have his death be a consequence of his being out of control and unwilling to stop no matter what.

"Then stand aside and let me _finish this…_ "

"RIKA!" Shouted Justimon, cutting her off. "What's going on? There's something…"

The glow that Lucemon was giving off from his body interrupted him.

_"Grand Cross!"_

* * *

 Henry clutched his sides and dropped to his knees as he felt an intense pain grip him at the very moment that an explosion erupted on the rooftop. As Kazu and Kenta looked worriedly at Henry, and since Takato was currently lost in his own well of misery, not a single one of them noticed the Angelic form that took off from the building's rooftop at high speed before disappearing into the depths of the Shinjuku Park.

* * *

In his data sphere, Ryo Akiyama slowly opened his eyes, fighting off the waves of pain and disorientation that he felt. After a few minutes he finally felt confident to get to his feet without being in any danger of collapsing. Standing up Justimon took a look around, and felt relief flood his system as he saw that there was no sign of the Lucemon. Deleted no doubt but… what about the others?

 Turning his head Ryo saw Sakuyamon standing shakily, her back turned to him. From what little he could see, Sakuyamon wasn't in very good condition. Her outfit torn and damaged in multiple places, her armor battered and, somwhere down the line, her Vajra staff had gone missing, probably destroyed. Ryo didn't think that he looked much better himself. Draping over one of Sakuyamon's purple gloves was the familiar long ear of Terriermon, having apparently been blasted back to the Rookie level from the force of Lucemon's last attack. Justimon sighed mentally, glad that they were both all right before he approached them.

"Sakuyamon?" He began only to be cut off by Rika's bitter response.

"Save it, Ryo," Sakuyamon said venomously before leaping into the air, heading off in a direction that Justimon could only assume led to where the other Tamers were. Stunned slightly by Sakuyamon's treatment of him Justimon shook his armored head before leaping after her, wondering once more about the way the Shaman Mega had acted, and what it was that might have caused such a reaction.

* * *

Justimon and Sakuyamon landed in front of the other Tamers a few minutes later, and Justimon took a moment to take a look around, noting the rather heavy amount of damage that was in the area. The street was torn up and even shattered in some places. Parked cars were crushed or turned to tattered scrap as though a great force had torn through them. There were also broken windows as well, but oddly not as many as there should have been given the amount of wreckage that was in the area. People were already poking their heads out of the buildings to see what the commotion was and Ryo wondered briefly how Hypnos was going to cover this one up. Yamaki had been doing his best to give the Tamers as normal a life as he could without media interference, but it only did so much good. Especially since, as the Tamers had later learned, their images had been plastered on just about every Television screen in the world. That certainly didn't help things much…

Ryo frowned in his data sphere and pushed the thought aside as he saw Sakuyamon walk up to Henry and hand him a barely conscious Terriermon, moaning something that sounded like _momentai_ (a word that brought a relieved reaction to the Chinese Tamers troubled face as he held his partner close). Justimon walked up to the others, taking note that Kenta and Kazu, who were standing next to a kneeling Takato, had not reacted to his presence with their typical fan boy worship, for which the Legendary Tamer was grateful. Their act, while it could be at times amusing, was a little draining to have to deal with on a regular basis, and besides, he didn't really like the attention that they heaped on him…

Ryo stopped in his musings as he took another look at Takato, and suddenly he wished that Kazu and Kenta _did_ go into fan boy mode. At least that would have told him that things were still okay with the group and that nothing bad had happened to them. The way Takato looked right now…

He just looked so… _lost_ …

And what was more, Guilmon wasn't nearby.

Justimon turned back to Henry and Sakuyamon as he heard the latter mentioning something about taking Takato back to his home and asked for Henry to have the others meet up with Jeri, explain the situation to her and then meet up back at the Matsuki's bakery and try and get a handle on things.

Henry nodded his ascent and Sakuyamon walked over to a non-responsive Takato and picked him up carefully into her gloved arms before taking flight once more. Justimon watched them go before he settled his gaze on the other Tamers.

"All right. Would someone like to explain to me what had happened before I arrived?"

* * *

In the jungle of Shinjuku Park, Lucemon shuddered as pain wracked his body. The one single Mega, Gallantmon, had been easy to deal with. A Royal Knight he may have been, but he was inexperienced in comparison to the ones that protected the digital world. As for the others…

He truly hadn't expected the Sakuyamon to attack him as savagely as she did or the double team that he had recieved from that Ultimate as well. Nor did he expect the Justimon to show up, and then there was having to unleash his power at so close a range in order to escape. Why had the human's digimon turned on him like that? He had only been trying to do what he saw was right. Eliminate a possible threat before it came to be one again. What was so wrong with that? And the creature that had merged with the boy was just a virus anyway! Why should the deletion of one virus matter to them? Why…?

Lucemon gritted his teeth as he felt the world start to go dark for him. Was he…? Could he be…? Well, it was to be expected, unleashing his power at point blank range. He had gambled in order to make his escape and even though he had won he might as well have lost. As the world darkened and his vision swam, Lucemon saw a dark figure approaching him. He couldn't tell what it was, and he didn't have the strength that it took to fight it off should it prove to be a threat.

The last thing that he heard before unconsciousness took him was a childish voice calling out in both fear and glee at its apparent discovery.

"Hey look! it's an angel!"

Lucemon's sense of the world vanished.


	5. The Flood

Life at the Matsuki bakery was moving at a steady pace. Customers trailed in and out on their daily business, stopping in only to buy themselves something to keep them going throughout the course of the day. The owners, Mei and Takahiro Matsuki, had of course heard the sound of an explosion and looked at each other worriedly, thinking about the son that they had who had to deal with the creatures responsible for the chaos that they brought with them from the other world. Takahiro offered his wife a comforting smile and life went on from there, though Mei couldn't help but worry about Takato and Guilmon. Thinking back on things, she couldn't help but think about how much Takato's digimon partner and creation had become a part of their family, and how much he had changed all their lives. Takato had become much more mature and independent in the time since becoming a Tamer, and then there was of course the overwhelming success of the bakery's _Guilmon bread_ , which had since become something of the bakery's trademark. There were some thoughts about whether or not they should expand into making bread modeled after Guilmon's digimon friends (the long eared one, Terriermon, had been especially exuberant about the concept of his own _lovely face_ being made into _Terriermon bread_ ), but as the boy, Henry Wong, had said when he had heard about it, there was the issue of licensing and trademarks since digimon were based on a card game. The conversation that had followed afterwards between Takato and Henry was a little strange. Takato had brought up the fact that, since digimon were living creatures, and were completely independent of the card game, they could make their own decisions and weren't _owned_ by the corporation that produced the card game.

The conversation had gone on for about an hour until Takahiro had made a comment that the two should probably go into law to settle the issue. The two boys just laughed and shrugged it off, but it had certainly given them both something to think about.

Mei had felt relieved when the sounds of battle ended and she had turned on the news to see what the situation was, but at the moment there wasn't much of any information to go on. Reports were still coming in, but there was nothing definite. The monitoring system, Hypnos, was releasing information at a fairly slow rate on the incident, saying that it was waiting for a final report from its _field agents_ before saying anything else on the manner. Mei watched the TV nervously while mixing a fresh batch of bread dough, trying to stay busy and keep her mind off of whatever danger that Takato and his friends have gotten themselves into. Having the television on and tuned in to the news really didn't help matters, but for her peace of mind, keeping occupied while at the same time wanting some information on her son, a balance had to be struck.

_I'm sure that he's fine,_ thought Mei as she tried once more to return her attention to the bowl of dough. _He and Guilmon are probably heading back to the park. Of course, he promised me that he'd give me a call after these fights to let me know that he's okay… well, I'm sure that he's going to get around to that soon._

Mei looked up once more at the television set as the news continued to streamed in, and once more worry filled her heart.

* * *

Takahiro manned the cash register as customers stood in line, waiting to pay for their orders. Some of them had gotten a little edgy when they heard the sounds of battle, and at least one had ducked out, but the rest stood their ground and waited for it to be over. Their faith was soon rewarded and once the television was on and broadcasting the news of the newest digimon _invasion_ they began talking amongst themselves about the creatures, and even mentioning the crimson dinosaur that now served as the bakery's mascot. For some, newer customers to the bakery, or new to the area, they had expressed the belief that the dinosaur for which the famous _Guilmon bread_ had been named after had really been a person in a suit (albeit, and admittedly life like suit), only to be told by the more regular visitors to the bread shop that this was not the case. Despite his own worry for the well being of his son, Takahiro couldn't help but grin at the conversation that revolved around Takato and Guilmon. Those two, the red dinosaur in particular, had really made an impression on the customers…

And that was when a rather tall, Shaman like female wearing a fox mask and purple gloves landed in front of the bakery carrying what looked like… Takahiro frowned as he took note of the spectacle.

_It looks like she's carrying Takato. Say… doesn't one of Takato's friends turn into a fox Shaman like Takato and Guilmon do when they become Gallantmon?_

The question soon became moot as the longhaired Shaman woman approached the bakery at a rapid pace and opened the door, stooping so as to get inside without bumping her head due to her size. As soon as she entered, the crowd of customers quieted down instantly, their attention fixated on the new arrivals, eyes wide in amazement.

_If_ this _doesn't make an impression on the customers nothing will,_ thought Takahiro as his attention shifted from the woman to the sight of his distraught son being held carefully in her arms. The worry that Takahiro had felt earlier had now taken on a razor's edge.

_Where's Guilmon?_ Thought Takahiro distractedly.

"Mr. Matsuki?" Asked the Shaman in that strange, double voice that Takahiro had heard once before. The adult's face became alert. There was something in her voices that suddenly grounded all of his fears.

"What happened?" Takahiro asked, doing his best to try to stay calm. A second later, Mei came out.

"Takahiro? Could you give me a hand with…?" Mei's voice trailed off as she noticed their newest arrivals. The forlorn look on her sons face immediately grabbed her attention.

* * *

"No…" said Jeri in quiet denial of what she had just heard when Henry, Kazu, Kenta, and Ryo had explained the situation to her. It just couldn't be. She didn't just hear what she thought that she did… right?

"I'm sorry Jeri," said Henry softly. "But it's true. Guilmon's been destroyed. Sakuyamon's taken Takato home to his parents…"

"But… Guilmon…" Jeri felt a torrent of sadness threatening to erupt, and with it the threatening well of despair. It just couldn't be! Guilmon and Takato… they couldn't be separated! It couldn't be true! It had to be some kind of cruel joke. But… looking at all their faces, Terriermon and Kazu especially, there didn't seem to be anything laughing behind their eyes. No humor was in them. Only… sadness. The well deepened.

"Jeri," began Ryo as he came up from behind Henry. "We're heading down to Takato's house right now to see what we can do for him. I think… that he's going to need a familiar and friendly face to help him through this. Now, more than ever."

That did it. Jeri pushed the sorrow away as the thought of Takato entered her mind. She could only imagine what he must be going through right now. She may have lost Leomon, but Takato and Guilmon had been together for much longer, and Takato had created the bread snarfing dinosaur, and because of that Guilmon was every bit a part of Takato as was a limb. To imagine one without the other would be like… well, in Guilmon's own words, _'like a PB and J sandwich without the peanut butter'_. Certainly another one of his strange food-related examples on life, but accurate nonetheless, Takato and Guilmon just weren't meant to be parted. And what made it even worse, was knowing that the two had promised, _promised_ that they would always be together. Jeri remembered how Takato had been after the digimon had been forced to return to the digital world after D-Reaper had been defeated, but at least then he had the hope that he would be united with his partner one day.

Death however, had that way of closing the door on that department. Takato was going to need all the help he could get to get through this ordeal.

With a swallow and a firm nod, Jeri turned and rushed off towards the Matsuki bakery, with the other Tamers quickly following behind.

* * *

The Tamers arrived at the Matsuki bakery in record time, tired and sweating from having run all the way from the park just to get there. A _closed_ sign had been hung up on the front but Rika and Renamon were waiting for them and promptly let them in, giving Ryo a quick glare as she did so. The two of them were looking a little the worse for wear, as Ryo and Cyberdramon had been when they had parted, but she just shrugged it off and redirected them to the Matsuki's kitchen where the family was currently grieving with a non-responsive Takato. According to Rika, it seemed the goggle-wearing boy had fallen into shock. Together the group went in to check up on their friend.

Rika was proven right as to Takato's emotional condition. His parents were with him, both trying to comfort him and at the same time, get a response of some kind out of the boy, but Takato… he just sat in the chair that had been pulled up for him with a blanket wrapped around him, staring into a cup of tea with a sorrowful expression on his face. He didn't even notice that the other Tamers were standing in the kitchen doorway. Jeri could feel the pain that was tearing him apart on the inside. She knew it better than anyone here.

The brown haired girl stepped forward, her eyes full of worry.

"Takato?" She asked tentatively. Takato turned his face up to the brown haired girl, and his face trembled with the weight of the emotion that he was barely holding back. Tears brimmed in his eyes, and Jeri, on impulse, stepped closer and pulled the boy into a hug as he finally burst into tears. The cup of tea that he had been holding fell to the floor with a crash as he held onto Jeri as though she were a lifeline, the handle breaking off and warm water spilling out as the cup rolled back and forth on its side.

The only sound that filled the bakery was Takato's sobs as Jeri held him.

* * *

Henry hung up Rika's cell phone and handed it back to the red haired girl, having just finished filling Yamaki in on the situation. The head of Hypnos had expressed shock, or rather, anger, at what had occurred and demanded fuller details, to which Henry replied that he'd give them when he went down to Hypnos. As for Takato's side of the story… well, that might have to wait. Jeri had seen their friend up to his room with his mother and would stay with him for a bit. Henry didn't feel that Takato would be up to answering any questions for the time being.

Ryo, Rika, Kazu, and Kenta were gathered around him, waiting for someone to say something about this turn of events. Henry looked at them, wondering what it was that was going through their minds. No, he didn't really wonder. He had an idea what they were thinking, the question was, how to best express it.

In the end, the task fell to a certain Legendary Tamer to break the silence that had fallen over the group of children.

"So what now?" Asked Ryo as he folded his arms over his chest. Henry sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

"We'll have to give a more detailed report to Yamaki as to what happened. The digimon that we fought, its strength…"

"As if that matters," growled Rika as she clenched her fists. "That digimon's been destroyed."

"Are you sure about that?" Asked Ryo. "I know that when we came to Lucemon wasn't anywhere around us, but we didn't actually see him delete or anything."

Rika once more fixed Ryo with a hard look, and held it for several seconds before looking away. Henry raised an eyebrow at the two. Rika had been like this towards Ryo ever since they showed up at the bakery. Granted, she usually acted this way around the Legendary Tamer, but never to this extent. So far she had not given any reason or a clue as to what might have caused such a dramatic shift in attitude. Well, Henry was sure that sooner or later he'd find out, whenever one of them was ready to clue him in. Maybe he should talk to Renamon about it later.

Henry sighed.

"Look. I'm going to head down to Hypnos now and talk to Yamaki and my Dad. They need to know what happened."

"Do you think that they might be able to do something to help…" Kenta stopped, not wanting to finish, but Henry had an idea as to what he meant. Like him, he was hoping that Hypnos might be able to do something to help Guilmon despite his having been destroyed. After all, his data hadn't been downloaded so it hadn't been fused with a digimon's body so there might be a chance that he could be revived. That is, if Hypnos could do something of that sort. Unfortunately, Henry held a realist view of what had happened, and that left his hope feeling false, and he didn't want to give the others a false sense of security. That wouldn't do. Hope may be better than no hope at all, but what happens when you pin all your hopes on one thing and it doesn't come out?

To Henry, having your hope crushed was worse than having no hope at all.

"I don't know," said Henry. "I'll talk to my Dad about it when I see him. Maybe he'll have something, and maybe he won't." Henry looked at Kenta, already seeing that faint glimmer of hope in his dark eyes, wanting to tell him not to get his hopes up, but at the same time realizing that hope, even if it has the chance of not coming true, was probably all that was going to keep Kenta and the others together.

Henry sighed mentally. Why did things have to happen this way?

* * *

After Henry left to go to Hypnos and have his _talk_ with Yamaki while Kenta and Kazu had gone upstairs to see how their friend was coping with his grief. Ryo was just about to follow them when he looked back and saw that Rika wasn't making a move to go up to Takato's room, but was instead looking at her cell phone with a fierce expression, her hand clenched around it as though she wanted to throw it against the wall or something. Renamon stood next to her, watching her with a cautious expression.

Ryo raised an eyebrow as he looked at the red haired girl.

"Hey Rika? Aren't you going to check on Takato?"

Not looking up, Rika replied bitterly to the Legendary Tamer.

"I already saw him," the girl growled. "Once was enough."

"Rika!" Renamon gasped, her eyes widening in surprise. Even Ryo was astounded at the harshness in her voice.

"Don't _Rika_ me, Renamon! I don't want to see…! I…! I…"

With another growl of anger Rika turned her back on her two friends and folded her arms. Renamon raised one gloved paw and placed it on her Tamers shoulder, and Rika made a quiet, choking sound as her shoulders heaved. Ryo suddenly understood. Rika didn't want to accept the fact that another one of her closest friends had been hurt by the lifestyle that they had and that there was nothing that she could do to make it right, or lessen the pain that came with it. It didn't really help things in her eyes that Ryo had stopped her from meting out justice on the one responsible for it either, but Ryo had no way of knowing before hand. He had been on the other side of Shinjuku when his D-Arc announced to him that a wild one was in the area, and having arrived on the scene to do battle with the foe, he didn't have much time either to swap stories. Walking up to the red haired girl he placed a comforting hand on her shoulder and she stiffened in surprise, her face contorting as she struggled to hold back the tears that threatened to spill forth from her eyes.

"C'mon," said Ryo. "I'm sure Takato could use your company."

After about a couple seconds Rika closed her eyes and headed towards the stairs that led up to Takato's room and began to climb up them. Ryo smiled as he watched the girl depart before looking at Renamon, who had turned to look at him.

"Thank you," said Renamon before she faded from view, leaving Ryo alone in the bakery kitchen.

"Don't mention it," said Ryo quietly before he headed for the stairs himself.


	6. The Aftermath

_"Takato…"_

_"Guilmon?"_

_The boy was surrounded by darkness. He craned his head around to see if there was any place around him that could offer illumination but all he could see was the same pitch-blackness. It enveloped him, suffocated him like an all-consuming presence. He wanted light desperately, but what was more he wanted…_

_"Guilmon? Where are you boy? I can't see you."_

_"Takato… it's so… dark… There's no bread here, Takatomon… no smells either…"_

_"Guilmon?" The boy called out again. He could see something now, a faint outline. He couldn't really tell for sure what it was. Just that there was finally something that he could see, and at this moment that was what mattered. It gave him something to aim towards as well as to orient himself. That and it also looked like it was moving…_

_The boy reached out tentatively as he began to move his feet towards the outline, once more calling out the name of Guilmon, hoping beyond hope that he would get an answer. Something that would comfort him, and end the nightmare that he had been having, the nightmare that filled him with loss each time he remembered it._

_"Takato?" The voice that the boy called 'Guilmon' called out, and the boy's face brightened, becoming hopeful and his pace quickened in response to the familiar, friendly voice. The outline of the figure was becoming clearer. He could almost make it out now. It looked like…_

That's not Guilmon, _thought the boy, as a bright glow appeared around the visage that he was approaching, revealing its form to be that of a blonde haired child with angelic wings. The boy stopped in his tracks, pulling back his hand as the other raised his own, the glow intensifying around it as the angel regarded the boy with an impassive expression._

_"Die now, child of the Hazard…" said the angel, and a burning light erupted from his hand. At the same moment another voice shouted as a heavy body pushed the boy out of harms way._

_"Look out Takato!"_

* * *

  _"Guilmon!"_

Takato Matsuki bolted upwards from his place on the floor, throwing aside the blanket that he had wrapped around him. For a second he looked around him, unsure of where he was but soon recognized the surroundings of his room. But where was Guilmon…?

A hand fell on Takato's shoulder. Turning, Takato looked into the concerned face of his friend, Henry Wong, with Terriermon sitting on his shoulder.

"Takato?" Asked Henry as he looked at his friend worriedly. "You okay?"

Takato's face became downcast and he turned away looking towards the balcony that led outside of his room. Henry sighed. Today and yesterday, two days since the _incident_ had occurred, Takato had been like this. Not talking much, reclusive, sleeping a lot as if by doing so he could escape the memories that plagued him, though if what Henry heard now, and from what Jeri had told him, Lucemon's actions had robbed him of the peace that he otherwise would have found in rest. Once more, Henry wished that there was something that he could do for his friend, but so far he came up with nothing. This was something that Takato was going to have to get through on his own, whether or not his friends were there to support him. Even Rika, who, just as she did with Jeri when she lost Leomon, had been showing a great amount of concern for the emotional well being of Takato, had admitted as much, but refused to be discouraged by it. Still, Henry felt that out of all of them, Jeri was perhaps the best qualified to help him. She had, after all, personal experience with loss.

"Where's Jeri?" asked Takato suddenly, as though he had read Henry's thoughts.

"I had Jeri go home today Takato," said Henry, and went on to explain his reasons for doing so. "She's been exhausted all day today, and yesterday too. As I heard it from Kazu and Kenta, she nearly fell asleep in class today. Twice. I thought that it would be best that she get some rest before she saw you again."

Takato nodded in understanding. Jeri had been visiting him since Guilmon had been killed, and had been the one to explain to Ms. Asagi why he wouldn't be coming in to class for a while. According to his parents, she had taken to staying late, and after what happened to Guilmon he imagined that she couldn't have been sleeping very well either.

_It'd be even worse for her if I told her the truth,_ thought Takato as guilt burned his conscience like acid. _If I told her the reason why Lucemon attacked me and Guilmon, she might start to blame herself for it, because of what happened… because of what happened that helped created Megidramon…_

The memory of the day that Guilmon turned into the great dragon, Megidramon, the day that Beelzemon had destroyed and downloaded Leomon, was one that came to mind far more often lately than it had in the past. Where before he had considered that hatchet buried, it had seemed that his actions, his loss of self-control on that day had had unforeseen consequences, and two days ago the bill came due, and he had paid two days ago with the life of his friend. And Jeri he felt, despite the fact that the situation had been beyond her control when she lost Leomon, would hold herself to blame for the part that she had played in it, however unintentional, and the same was true for Impmon as well. The little rookie had paid him a visit yesterday with Jeri, having been informed of what had happened by Renamon, and had expressed his own anger in the form of numerous, loud expletives that were swiftly silenced by a look at the former, unofficial leader of the Tamers. Like all his other friends, Impmon had told Takato that he'd be there for him if he needed him, and Takato had thanked him, smiling a little as he remembered how nearly a year ago they had tried to kill each other in the digital world. Funny how things worked out. Back then Impmon wouldn't have shed a tear but now…

Takato made a choking noise as he tried to hold back a sob. Part of him wanted desperately to let it out, but at the same time he wanted to keep it in. He was sick of crying, tired of the pain that he felt in his heart, but it wouldn't leave him. Oddly enough, Takato wasn't sure if he even _wanted_ it to leave him. For the pain to disappear felt almost like forgetting Guilmon. The pain, was like a close reminder of the promise that they made to each other, about how they would always be together, though it was broken now. He was scared that if he lost the pain, he would lose Guilmon for sure, even though he knew his friend would want him to move on and try to be happy. But it was all too soon… all too soon…

A weight settled on Takato's shoulder and he felt Terriermon's long ears embrace him as Henry squeezed his shoulder in an attempt to give him comfort.

"Momentai," said Terriermon forlornly, and as if that word carried hidden permission, tears began to roll down Takato's cheeks as he continued to sob quietly.

* * *

Henry stayed with Takato for a couple more hours before heading downstairs with Terriermon, just in time to see Kazu and Kenta enter through the bakery's doors, with Rika in tow glaring at them, her eyes promising them bodily harm if they did something to cause even the slightest amount of chaos in the Matsuki bakery. Not that it would have made much difference. During the time that Takato had been out of school due to his 'loss', the bakery had been closed down. It would open up again by tomorrow though, or maybe the day after. Takato's parents had said as much when he had come in, but they themselves didn't sound too sure of it. They were also in debate as to whether or not to continue making their now famous line of Guilmon Bread, out of respect for their son, but that was something that only Takato could really make the call on, having created and been friends with the genuine article.

 Rika's eyes lighted on Henry and she stepped forwards.

"How is he?" She asked, her face betraying worry.

"Asleep again," said Henry. "He's in a bad way right now."

"Is Jeri still up there with him?"

Henry shook his head.

"I told her that it would be best if she went home today. You know how she's been staying with him until its late out."

"She almost fell asleep in class twice today," spoke up Kenta, trying to support Henry's reasoning. Even though he hadn't been there when Henry had spoken to the girl (having been stuck in detention again with Kazu), he had taken notice of Jeri's exhaustion. Rika's eyes just narrowed, but she nodded in understanding.

"So what do we do now? Just sit here? There's got to be _something_ that we can do to help him!"

"We've already been through this before Rika," said Henry calmly. "The only thing that we can do for him is be there for him when he needs us. It's up to him as to whether or not he moves on."

Rika just crossed her arms.

"And what's Yamaki and his bunch got to say about this? You didn't really say much about your meeting with them, and all they did yesterday was show up and offer their condolences. Not really all that helpful on their part if you ask me."

Henry sighed as he ran a hand through his hair, and Terriermon looked at him expectantly.

"Yamaki wasn't at all thrilled to hear about what had happened to Guilmon, as you know, but from a logical standpoint…"

"Let's get one thing straight Einstein," growled Rika. "I… don't… _care_ about a logical standpoint. I want to know what they're going to do about this."

"Well, I've been talking to my dad about it, but all he says is that they're looking into it. He won't go into any details either, but I think that's because he doesn't want to give any of us false hope if they think that there's a way to bring Guilmon back."

"Do you think that there's a chance?" Asked Kenta, almost timidly.

Henry thought about it for a few seconds, letting the question sink in before giving an answer.

"I don't know," said Henry finally. "Maybe. Guilmon's data wasn't loaded, and since he wasn't in the digital world when he was destroyed his data is still floating around out there, trapped in this world. I can't say for sure if that means we'll be able to get Guilmon back, but I do know that the more time that passes the less of a chance that there is that it will happen."

"And even if we did we don't know if we can put Guilmon back together again, right?" Asked Kazu, who had up until this point been silent during the entire conversation. Rika and Kenta gave him a surprised look, but Henry nodded, glad that someone was seeing where he was going.

"We've never restored a digimon after it's been deleted. We've had no reason to in the past, so we have nothing to go back on."

"Maybe if we could get in touch with one of the Sovereigns…" began Kenta, but Rika cut him off.

"Good luck. I doubt that they'd try to help us anyway."

"I'm pretty sure that's just your experience with Zhuqiaomon talking," said Henry. "Remember, Azulongmon was more than willing to help out when we first met him."

"And how do we find him anyhow?" Demanded Rika bitterly. "It's not like we can go back and forth between the real and digital worlds like they do, and it's hard enough just trying to find them."

"We could ask Ryo," said Kenta. "He once said that he came across Baihumon's castle."

Rika growled something inaudible under her breath but didn't say anything in response.

"Well," began Henry. "I don't know. Like Rika said, we don't have an easy way of getting back and forth between the digital world and our world, but we should have a word with Ryo since he knows more about traveling around the digital world than we do. But I don't think that we should even consider going to the digital world. For one thing, Takato's going to need us and the Sovereigns might not be able to help us anyway."

"Are you being a quitter on us Henry?" Demanded Kazu heatedly.

Henry frowned at the visor-wearing boy.

"I didn't say that. I'm just saying that we've got to really think about this before committing to any serious course of action."

"We should still talk to Ryo though," chipped in Terriermon.

"Hmmm…"

"We can do it," said Kazu, indicating himself and Kenta.

"Typical," muttered Rika.

"I'm serious. Well, maybe Henry might want to tag along, but I know that I'd like to hear what Ryo has to say, and it's not like you'd want to see him anyway. You've barely said more than three words to him since he showed up in that fight two days ago."

"Yeah, what gives?" Asked Kenta.

Henry nodded mentally. Though Kazu had exaggerated again about Rika's attitude towards the Legendary Tamer, she had been rather quiet towards him. She no longer acted angry around him as she had the day that Takato lost Guilmon, but she was definitely acting rather removed, and he wasn't sure if that was a good thing.

_Something to ask Ryo about at some point,_ thought Henry.

Rika folded her arms and looked away.

"It's nothing," Rika said quietly. In truth, she was a little unsure of her reasons herself now. Two days ago, she knew perfectly well that it was because Ryo had stopped her from deleting Lucemon, but he had done so because he saw something in the way that she was reacting towards the angel that had disturbed him. That, and that he had been unaware of what had happened to Takato and Guilmon when he had arrived onto the scene. He couldn't have known. Thinking back on it, her reasons for being angry with him were rather stupid, but she wasn't about to apologize for it, just as he wasn't about to apologize for stopping her. There was an unspoken knowledge between them that allowed them to understand the reasons behind their actions, and as such it rendered apologies unnecessary. The only thing that was left was how to move on from there, hence Rika's current reasons for being standoffish around Ryo. It was something that she would get around to ending, but until she felt ready to make that change, things would continue as they stood. And right now, even with an opportunity to make that change, she still didn't feel ready to do just that.

Henry coughed.

"Um… anyway, I think that we should try to talk to Ryo, and see if Hypnos has come up with anything new. Kazu, if you're going to see Ryo I'd like to tag along and see if there's anything he can tell us or help us out with, but for now I think that we shouldn't start planning any trips to the digital world any time soon."

"Hmmmnnn…" Kazu shifted a little as though in protest, but reluctantly consented to Henry's advice. Kenta and Rika both nodded. The children were silent for a moment.

"Hey guys?" Asked Kenta, almost timidly. "I was thinking that, maybe we should hold a memorial for Guilmon. I overheard Takato's parents talking about it yesterday, so maybe we should have one also, maybe at Guilmon's old home."

Silence reigned once more as they let the idea sink in.

* * *

Takato had been trying to drift after Henry left his room, trying to find refuge from the memories of his friend, Guilmon, and finding little success. He had heard snatches of conversation from downstairs and guessed that his friends were downstairs. Getting up from his bed he headed towards his bedroom door, rubbing his eyes so as to dry them of whatever tears that were left. He opened the door and started descending the stairs, wanting to see the others, and to show that he was okay.

 He didn't want them to worry about him.

Entering the bakery section he nodded numbly to his parents, who asked him if he needed anything. Takato responded by saying that he just wanted to see his friends and he was directed to the living area of the Bakery, where he found Henry, Terriermon, Rika, Kazu, and Kenta, standing in a circle, not saying anything. Takato walked in, his movement catching their eyes and they turned to look at him.

"Takato…" began Henry, and Takato forced a smile on his face.

"Hey guys," Takato croaked, his voice harsh from his grief, but he was trying to hide it. "I heard you upstairs so I came down to see you."

The other Tamers smiled and nodded.

"Hey, Takato?" Asked Henry. "Kenta was just saying… he thought that we should probably have a memorial for Guilmon. I was wondering what you would think about it."

A small, tired smile appeared on Takato's face, but it didn't reach his eyes.

* * *

Yamaki flicked his lighter closed in frustration as he exited the Hypnos building with his colleague and employee, Janyu Wong, his mind once more focused on the meeting that he had with the Tamer, Henry Wong and his partner, Terriermon two days ago. It wasn't something that he had reacted well to, expressing first disbelief, and then anger, something that hadn't really happened with him since the days of the Devas and D-Reaper, and he had reasons for this. Takato and his partner, Guilmon had been a valuable asset to the Hypnos program, and now that they were gone…

 Yamaki frowned.

_When did I start thinking of them as_ assets _instead of living creatures with hopes and dreams of their own? Up until now, Hypnos and the Tamers have had something akin to a business like relationship, or at least more like a military chain of command. They were our unofficial ground troops for handling any digimon that broke through the barriers._

Yamaki let out an exasperated sigh, which caught the attention of Janyu as he walked next to him.

"Thinking about Takato again?" The Chinese man asked. A pointless question to be sure. That had basically been the only thing that he had given any amount of thought to. The chief operator, Rielly, had commented on it and had offered her own commiserations for the boy, but for Yamaki, he had taken the loss most personal.

"Yes," said Yamaki gruffly. "It just doesn't seem right that Takato's partner has been deleted…"

"Not _necessarily_ deleted," said Janyu, reminding him of a conversation that they had had earlier, sometime after Henry had departed for home. "True, his physical form was broken apart into individual data and fragmented…"

"Either way," interrupted Yamaki. "Guilmon is affectively dead as we know him."

"Shibumi doesn't…"

"As promising as Mizuno's theories are, he has admitted that he's not sure whether he could do anything for him. Even I have my own reservations about his theories. I still don't know why I allowed him access to the Juggernaut program."

"Perhaps he knows something that we don't," said Janyu simply. "Besides; if you had no confidence in his abilities then you wouldn't have given him permission to pursue his plan."

"Perhaps it's not so much confidence as it is desperation," said Yamaki as the two men approached the parking lot. Janyu raised an eyebrow.

"Desperation? That's not like you."

Yamaki flicked his lighter open once more, and a second later it was closed.

"Times change," said Yamaki coolly. "People change. There was once a time where I wouldn't have lifted a finger to help the Tamers, let alone Takato, but his attitude towards the digimon, his personality had an affect on me. He gave so much of himself in the battles against the Devas, D-Reaper, and the Parasimon… it doesn't seem fair in my eyes that he and Guilmon should be parted again, especially in the way that they were. Which reminds me, did Henry say anything about the reason behind the attack?"

"Takato didn't tell you when you talked to him?"

"He said that he didn't know, and for some reason I doubt him. While digimon have been known to cross over and commit reckless acts of violence, they are rarely without reason. Some digimon, for example, have crossed over looking for revenge." Yamaki grimaced at the memory of the Musyamon that had evaded the Yuggoth program prior to the appearance of the first Devas. A sign of things that were to come…

Janyu shook his head.

"No, Henry doesn't know what the attack was about. Why do you think that Takato isn't telling the truth?"

"Call it instinct," said Yamaki. "But let's leave that for now. You've seen Shibumi's data as have I. You know my feelings on it, but what about you?"

"Difficult to say, especially with the amount of time that has passed since Guilmon's destruction. Shibumi knows quite a bit about a digimon's structural form, but it's still all in the theoretical stages so far. Even with the information that Hypnos has gathered on digimon and its resources, it still seems unlikely that we could accomplish anything. Perhaps Shibumi will have something for us tomorrow. He has been working on it non-stop since you gave him the assignment, though I think he would have pursued it anyway…"

Yamaki sighed as he took off his sunglasses and rubbed his eyes, as though feeling exhaustion or some tiring weight on his shoulders.

"I wonder if I should see Takato tomorrow and see if there's anything more that we can do for him and his family for the services that he has rendered."

"I'm sure that the sentiment would be appreciated," said Janyu. "Out of curiosity, if you do go to see him, do you intend to tell him anything about what we've discussed?"

"As tempting as it is," said Yamaki as he put back on his sunglasses. "I don't think that we should give Takato false hope, especially since we don't know what the result would be ourselves."

Janyu was silent. He could see Yamaki's reasoning, but he wasn't entirely sure that they should leave Takato without any hope as to getting back Guilmon. Well, he wouldn't say anything to Takato, Henry, or any of the others, but Janyu did question as to whether or not it was the right thing to do. He was leery of keeping secrets from the Tamers since D-Reaper, but now as it was then, he would do so if he felt that it served a better purpose. If Shibumi succeeded in his goal, if he could even attempt it at all, then it would serve as a pleasant surprise for Takato and the others. If not, then nothing would be changed. Perhaps it was best to not let the Tamers know, but all Janyu could see in his minds eye as he and Yamaki parted ways to go to their respective homes was the look on Henry's face when he arrived at Hypnos. It reminded him far too much of the day that the digimon had been forced to return to the digital world.

* * *

Takato trudged back upstairs after his friends left, having assured them that he would be all right tonight, and that he would get out to meet them in the park after school. He considered going in tomorrow, but he wasn't at all sure if he was going to be up to it, two days after losing his best friend. A fresh tear trickled down his face as he entered his room and closed the door with a click. Leaning his head against its wood, Takato let out a soft gasp as he once more struggled with the dull ache that he felt in his heart.

  _Guilmon…_

Pushing off from the door Takato walked over to his desk, and on pure impulse he began sorting through the various papers that he had stashed on the surface, barely pausing to look at the old sketches and homework assignments until he finally found what he was looking for. Blinking, he carefully picked up his first drawing of Guilmon, the one that he had made the day that he got his digivice, still wrapped with the rubber band with the stats he had created for his ideal partner. Almost without thinking, Takato raised his D-Arc and looked at the screen. It stared back, static filling it. Dead, empty like Jeri's digivice had been when Leomon had been destroyed. Now there was another thing that they shared in common…

A strange thought came to Takato and he raised his drawing to his D-Arc, his face thoughtful for a moment. But then the thought passed, and Takato set his digivice and drawing back down on his desk, pausing a moment to look at his goggles that hung lifelessly off his chair before climbing up the ladder to his bed and settled down to sleep. Time passed, and he heard his mother enter the room, and he imagined her looking at his back, worried about him, trying to understand what he was going through. After what felt like an eternity she walked back towards the door, clicking off the bedroom light as she did so and whispering a barely audible _good night_ before closing the door. Takato's eyes once more brimmed with tears, but none were shed in the silence of the night.


	7. Different Perspectives

Darkness clouded his vision. Bits and pieces of light interrupting here and there, and every now and then a soft, concerned voice broke through the fog that kept the world at bay. Exhaustion filled every inch of his body, pain to go along with it as well, but those things have been there, in the background, for quite some time during which they had been fading bit by bit. He was almost restored now, but still a long ways off from being what he once was. Actually he should have been better sooner than this, but this world limited him and what he could do with its rules, rules that he had to obey regardless of what he himself wanted. Although rules were something that he understood, and understood quite clearly, it still irritated him to no end. Being what he was, he wasn't comfortable with having to take his time with the healing process.

Digimon are _supposed_ to heal quickly after all.

Lucemon groaned as he came to, the world swimming in his vision. The ground was soft underneath his body. _Too_ soft, Lucemon felt as his angelic wings stretched outwards, the feathers rubbing up against some fabric that was covering them, and there was something else that seemed to be holding one of his arms in place. Some kind of… fabric? No, that wasn't quite it, but it was close enough. Something here was not right. The last thing that he remembered was passing out after having that fight with the Sakuyamon, Justimon, and Rapidmon following his battle with the _Beast of the Hazard_. That fight had left him confused. Why would two Vaccines and a Data side with a Virus? Why would they try to fight him, Lucemon, because he destroyed the digimon that the Sakuyamon had called _Guilmon_ , the Hazard's dragon? True, he himself bore the mark of the Hazard as well, but unlike his counterpart that served the Seven Demon Lords in the Dark Ocean between the worlds, he hadn't tried to destroy the digital world, something that all viruses had tried to do down the long history of the digital world at one point or another, with the one and only exception of those Royal Knights who were viruses, but they had been created by their leader, Yggdrasil for the sole purpose of safeguarding the digital world. Lucemon thought it strange that a being that powerful would choose Virus digimon to act as guardians but he didn't question its decisions. After all, the great god of the digital world, surpassing the power of even the Four Digimon Sovereigns themselves, had concluded that it was necessary to bring them into being, and its will was to be obeyed without hesitation. It was to be admitted however, that those Virus Knights did show the same sense of honor and loyalty as their Vaccine and Data type counterparts, and because of this, Lucemon was irked that the monster that let loose the power of the Digital Hazard, right outside of a Sovereigns home no less, had somehow chosen to take on the form of one of Yggddrasil's servants. For a creature that threatened to destroy all that Lucemon held sacred, unleashing its power in a great rage, this was an insult of the highest magnitude and it wouldn't go unpunished.

And that was precisely what Lucemon had done, and though his attack hadn't been officially sanctioned by any of the powers that existed in the digital world, there had been more than enough cause for concern over the sudden appearance of Megidramon and the Digital Hazard that no chance could be taken that such an event could happen again.

But all this was distracting Lucemon from trying to figure out what was going on. The world had finally managed to settle down long, allowing Lucemon to take a look at his surroundings. He was in a Japanese styled home, more specifically one of its rooms, lying in a bed with a deep red blanket covering him. Sitting up, Lucemon winced, his wounds still paining him a little and he looked down to inspect his injuries. He had half expected to find himself looking a little the worse for wear considering what he had been through. Maybe an injury leaking some data, or multiple scratches or similar wounds of the sort that usually accompanied the aftermath of a battle, but strangely he did not even find that. Not even a smudge of dirt had the decency to show itself and make its presence known on his angelic robe. Frowning, Lucemon poked at the bandages that he had found wrapped around his body, one of them wrapped firmly around his left arm while another graced his chest. He had initially thought that he had been captured, but seeing the place that he now resided in, and his own treatment, he began to think otherwise.

_It seems that someone has taken the time to tend to my injuries,_ thought Lucemon, his frown deepening, feeling a little suspicious over whoever it was that had given him aid. Angelic being that he was, succor was not something that was handed out lightly in the digital world, if at all. The law of _survival of the fittest_ prevailed in the digital plain, and all, or at least nearly all, of its denizens fought for the right to continue existing by any and all means. Aid that was given usually came with a price, but perhaps the same didn't hold true in the human world as it did in the digital.

Lucemon took a look around the room that he had apparently spent his recuperating time in, taking in every square foot of the place. The room was wide and spacious, and though it was filled with seemingly random clutter, not a bit of it touched the floor. Sunlight entered easily through the windows, giving it a free, open feeling that left Lucemon feeling a little bit at ease. On top of a dresser stood twin long stemmed flowers, both of them graced with large, purple and white petals. Next to the plants sat a picture of three humans. Curious, Lucemon crawled out from under the bed's blankets and flexed his wings, hoping that they were serviceable enough to allow him some measure of flight. A twinge of pain sizzled across the angel's nerves but his wings were willing to hold him aloft as he floated over towards the dresser and carefully picked up the picture frame and looking at those that it portrayed.

The picture showed what appeared to be a grown woman with long, dark, hair that was more brown than black, with some gray mixed in, but the calm, serene look on her face said that vanity was not something that she cared about. In front of her stood two children, one boy, obviously young with deep, dark eyes and a wide smile on his face; an open joy for the world and a bountiful amount of innocence that was almost like a breath of fresh air. Next to the boy was a young girl, older than the other child, but still fairly young with short, closely cropped dark hair and brilliant crimson eyes. For a moment, Lucemon was almost reminded of the human that had merged with the Hazard Dragon but swiftly shook the comparison off. Though she had the same measure of child like innocence and inner fire as that boy, she lacked the temperament of experience that Lucemon had seen in him. Or, if she did have that temperament, it was of a different order than what he had previously seen.

Suddenly Lucemon's wings shivered and gave out on him, and the angel fell to the ground. Gasping with pain the sense of exhaustion that he had earlier once more settled heavily onto his form, and Lucemon struggled just to get into a kneeling position. The sounds of footsteps were heard approaching the room and Lucemon tried to summon some strength to get back to his feet. He had just succeeded putting one foot out beneath him and was preparing to lift himself upwards when the door to the room slid quickly open, and in stepped the red eyed, dark haired girl that he had seen in the picture that now lay on the floor.

Lucemon and the girl stared at each other for a few moments while they both tried to collect themselves. Finally, the girl rushed forward, her hands held out to help the fallen angel get to his feet, her face a mixture of worry, and calm amazement.

"You're awake! What are you doing u-?"

Lucemon pushed the girl away after she had gotten him up, and he blinked his eyes as the world swam around him. Exhaustion continued to increase its grip on him, but the angel was determined to stand by himself. The girl looked at him, slightly confused by his actions. She had only been trying to help him…

"Excuse me?" Asked the girl cautiously. Lucemon's piercing blue eyes focused on the girl and narrowed. The girl felt a little nervous under the angel's scrutinizing gaze, but pressed on. "Um… my name's Noriko. My little brother found you hurt in the bushes in Shinjuku park two days ago and our Mom brought you here and…" The girl who had identified herself as _Noriko_ now narrowed her own eyes at Lucemon. "…Are you an angel? Or a digimon?"

Before Lucemon could even answer the world spun out of control and went black. His last sight was of the floor rushing to greet him.

* * *

Takato stood at the entrance to Guilmon's old home, looking at the bouquet of flowers and photo, one that depicted Takato and Guilmon together as they posed for the camera (it also had one of Terriermon's ears partially obscuring the lens as he tried to pull one of his practical jokes, but Kenta had managed to take the image a split second before it was covered completely. Takato felt that a picture of Guilmon at what he felt was his happiest, being this one, was perfect for use at the memorial), that had been laid down on its surface yesterday, when he and his friends held a memorial service for Guilmon. Everyone had had their say that day, recounting all the memories and good times that they had about the red dinosaur. Rika had stammered a little as she recalled her and Renamon's first encounter with the crimson reptile, and had glanced at Takato as though she wasn't sure whether that memory was appropriate for what she had to say (and to be honest, it had surprised Ryo, who hadn't been aware of that encounter and the events behind it, but he didn't comment about it), but a reassuring, though sorrowful, smile from the goggle wearing Tamer was all it took for her to continue on as though it hadn't been a problem. It had all been in the past after all, and their friendship had allowed them to both accept and move beyond that nearly disastrous first meeting.

Takato smiled a little as he recalled what Jeri had to say, remembering what she said about how he thought that she would be scared by him like Kazu and Kenta had been and had told her that it was all fake, just as the dinosaur like digimon had appeared behind him and asked whether or not he had bread with him. Both of their reactions, she had said, had been absolutely priceless, Takato looking like he was about to have a panic attack while Guilmon acted like nothing was wrong at all (this memory had brought a smile to Takato's face, especially when Rika berated Kazu and Kenta for being such wimps, to which they had heatedly told her to _'can it!'_ ). Takato was grateful to each and every one of his friends for speaking, and had been pleasantly surprised when Terriermon had offered some words of comfort and, true to his nature, had tried to put a pleasant face on things without saying anything that required his Tamer to scold him. Of course, he always knew that the little rookie was capable of doing that; it was just that he usually said things that often got him in trouble that few would have believed otherwise.

Takato had also spoken at the memorial, and had struggled through it every step of the way, but because his friends had been there he had managed to finish without breaking down. Afterwards though, his emotions had once more taken hold of him, and each of his friends had offered him comfort, whether through encouraging words or just by being there for him. And afterwards, when Jeri had walked him home, she told him that she was there for him if he needed her, for which Takato was immensely grateful. Had things been different, had he not lost Guilmon, he might have become greatly flustered over the situation. He was touched by it though, that Jeri had said that she'd be there for him, and it also saddened him that he felt that he couldn't tell her the reasons as to why Guilmon had been killed... why they both had been targeted by Lucemon. He had told everyone, Jeri, Henry, Rika, Yamaki... everyone, that he didn't know why it had happened, and so far no one had called him out on it. He didn't see the point to it though. One attacking wild one was as indifferent to the world as the next, so why burden everyone, especially Jeri and Impmon, with the knowledge that what had happened the day that Megidramon was born, was the reason why Guilmon had been destroyed?

He had gone to school today, over his mother's protests, but his father didn't bar his way. Takahiro had asked him if he was sure that he wanted to do so, so soon after losing his best friend, but Takato stood firm in his decision, and his parents had agreed to let him go (though his mother much more reluctantly). His friends had been surprised to see him at school, and Kazu, Kenta, and Henry had reiterated the question that his father had asked him that very morning, as did Jeri once they were heading off to class and in a more private setting. Takato had or course replied that he would be fine, offering everyone a reassuring smile, but during the course of the day Takato found himself completely unable to concentrate. If he had been unable to fully pay attention to Ms. Asagi's lessons before, it was completely hopeless now. His mind kept drifting back to Guilmon. Ms. Asagi, who had been made aware of Takato's loss, had _asked_ to see him after class had ended for recess and had a talk to him, _suggesting_ that he take the remainder of the day off, and tomorrow as well for that matter, to come to terms with what had happened. He could remember the conversation quite well. How she told him that she deeply sympathized with him, and the honesty that he saw in her eyes silenced any protests that he might have had. And so it was that he stood here now, paying his respects to Guilmon once more, before he went home.

Takato looked over the cement shelter that had served as Guilmon's first home in the real world for a year prior to his being sent to the digital world. It still held a sense of nostalgia for Takato, but at the same time it filled him with a bone deep sadness. It would never be Guilmon's home again. He would never _see_ Guilmon again. Once more this knowledge settled on Takato's shoulders heavily, and as though the weight carried a physical sensation as well, Takato placed his school bag on the ground and he soon joined it with a sigh, turning it around and opening it, rooting through its contents until he found what he was looking for. With a light grunt, Takato pulled his goggles out from beneath a note book and held the item in his hands, looking it over carefully as though for the first time, looking it over carefully. He remembered how he first put them on as a way of explaining the differences and relationship between humans and digimon, as well as a way to pay homage to all the previous leaders of Digidestined teams who had worn goggles. Looking back now he felt a little foolish, as he had not quite equated himself as they had in the beginning, but afterwards you could say that he had _earned his goggles_.

_Kind of useless now,_ thought Takato with a sigh. He hadn't worn them since losing his best friend, and the way things stood now it didn't look like he was going to again any time soon, or ever again. Without Guilmon by his side he was affectively no longer a Tamer, and the only real proof that he had of that now was his D-Arc. So now things would be… what? More _normal_ for him? He certainly didn't have a place or a reason to continue on as a Tamer, and because of this an all too familiar fear raced through his mind. In the past the Tamers had united because they had to defend Shinjuku against the repeated and increasingly devastating attacks from wild digimon breaching the barriers between the worlds, where prior to that they hadn't had much of any reason to be together at all. At least, Rika hadn't seen it that way, though Henry had proved otherwise (though that may have come from the fact that Henry and Takato were much more able and receptive to getting to know each other, both being in the same school after all). Because of the attacks, Takato, Henry, and Rika were forced to work together and they bonded over time, but after their partners, and those of Ryo and the recently made Tamers Ai, Mako, Kazu, and Kenta, had been forced to return to the digital world they had as a group drifted apart. Sure, Takato got to see Jeri, Kazu, and Kenta on a regular basis, and the same held true for Henry, but Rika, Ryo, and Ai and Mako had become a distant _once in a while_. It had disturbed him greatly at the time at how their group had fragmented since their adventures had seemingly come to an end, but when the digimon came back things returned to as they had been before D-Reaper's invasion and before their own trip to the digital world to rescue Calumon, so his fears went to a small corner in the back of his mind where they slept.

Only to reawaken, almost a week after losing Guilmon.

Takato shook his head, denying the fear, berating himself for having thought of it in the first place. Jeri, despite having lost Guilmon, hadn't lost touch with any of the other Tamers, and had become a confidence of sorts for them, though admittedly mostly for Takato whenever he had questions and concerns that needed voicing, but she was there, ready to lend a friendly ear for anyone who wanted to talk, no matter what the subject. Even Rika had done so on a few occasions, and Henry as well though he turned to his sensei or his father for advice much more regularly when it came to dealing his own internal struggles.

_But where's my place now?_ Takato asked the stone hut that had once served as his best friends home away from home. _Where do I fit in? How… how can I go on without Guilmon? We promised that we would always be together; that_ nothing _would keep us apart. If he were still alive he'd probably say something along the lines of 'you'll find an answer sooner or later Takato'._

Takato sighed as he remembered the simplicity and strong faith that Guilmon had faced life with, and tried to recall if he had been like that. Yeah. Yeah he had been after his own fashion. The ultimate proof of that was when he had fused with Guilmon to create Gallantmon in the face of a strong enemy, the shadow of Megidramon, and no D-Arc to connect them. The bond that they shared was too strong for something like not having a digivice to prevent them from finding the strength and means that they needed to protect their friends from Beelzemon. He just wished that he could find that faith again and continue on, despite knowing that Guilmon was no longer by his side.

But… what if it _didn't_ have to be that way?

Takato pushed the thought away, not sure if he wanted to pursue it. He had gotten the idea a couple days ago, but he hadn't given it much thought until last night, after the memorial that he and his friends held for Guilmon. It came to him after remembering how Guilmon had first come into existence, his digivice having scanned the drawings and stats that he had created and, with the help of Digignomes, had turned the data it had gained into a digi-egg. It was what made him unique among the other Tamers, and he had occasionally wondered if it could happen again.

What would happen if he scanned the drawings again?

_Even if I could,_ thought Takato, thinking of that strange vision that he had had of a million different Guilmon's just when Beelzemon was attempting to gun him down. _Nothing could replace the original Guilmon. The one that was my friend._

Takato tried to tell himself that rescanning the drawing of his friend wouldn't be doing any justice to the crimson dino, that it would almost be an insult to him. Though he told himself that he believed it, the hollowness that he felt in his heart told him otherwise.

Once more shaking the thought away, Takato put his goggles on the stone floor of the hut with the flowers and picture and got up, grabbing his schoolbag and, after slinging it over his shoulder, left the concrete shelter. He paused only once, looking back at the empty building, with its steel gate that always creaked whenever he had opened it, remembering the look of joy that would always light up on Guilmon's face whenever he heard that sound. It wouldn't happen again. Never again.

_Good-bye Guilmon,_ thought Takato as he once more took up the path that led home, but no matter how hard he tried, that odd idea that he had wouldn't leave him.


	8. Dreams

Jeri looked at Takato's empty desk with worriedly and glanced at the classroom clock, counting as the seconds ticked by, and then the minutes as Ms. Asagi continued on with her lesson, apparently oblivious to the fact that the goggle wearing boy hadn't yet arrived. Of course, she was used to his being chronically late to her class anyway, and would normally continue the lesson regardless of his absence (being so kind as to make him wait out in the hallway when he finally deigned to show up), but with what had happened to him so recently this was not something that she would call _normal behavior_. Plus Ms. Asagi had asked him to stay in after class had ended for recess, so that was reason to suspect that something had happened. Ms. Asagi had probably decided that it would be best to send Takato home until he was more able to focus. If that was the case, Jeri found it hard to disagree. Trying to resume a normal life four days after losing someone close to you, as close as Takato and Guilmon were especially, was rushing things in her eyes, though she could also sympathize with Takato's desire to move on with his life. It was just that it was something that was going to take time…

"Hey!" Called out Kazu rather rudely from where he sat. Ms. Asagi paused in what she was writing on the chalkboard and turned to face Kazu with a deeply annoyed expression on her face that quickly vanished once she met Kazu's gaze. She held back from automatically giving Kazu detention however, despite his severely blunt method of getting her attention. She would find out what he wanted first, and then take it from there.

_Most students have the common sense to raise their hands and ask politely,_ thought Ms. Asagi in exasperation as she composed herself mentally.

"What is it, Kazu?"

Kazu paused before giving an answer, realizing that whatever he was going to say would have to be said _carefully_ , as Ms. Asagi had quite explicitly pointed when school had started up again after the D-Reaper fiasco. Just because he was a Tamer did not entitle him to act like he in charge of whether or not the world revolved around him. Not like he cared about that sort of thing though. As Kazu measured his choice of words before responding to his teacher, he could hear Henry's voice in his head, as though speaking to his errant partner, Terriermon. Something about… _tact_.

"Uh… I was just wondering where Takato was. I mean, I know that he's normally late to class and everything, but I don't think that he's ever been _this_ late." Kazu paused once more, contemplating on all possibilities that would explain _Chumley's_ absence, and soon enough something clicked in his brain, revealing once more that he was definitely smarter than other people, himself included, believed.

"Unless…"

Now if only Ms. Asagi didn't decide to interrupt and state what was already becoming obvious to the rest of the class.

"For your information Kazu, I sent Takato home during recess. If you recall, Jeri had informed me about what had happened to his partner…" There were nods from some of the other students in the room, recalling the moment of silence that they had held for the red dinosaur and his partner. Guilmon had become quite an important part of all their lives since his existence had been revealed to them, and Takato a much better known person to them as well, so the news of Guilmon's loss and their worry for Takato had hit each of them all in their own way. "…And based on my observations of him today when he came in, I didn't think that he was ready to come back to class just yet."

Ms. Asagi's face softened a little at the recollection of her conversation with Takato, and she had to admit that she felt a little bad for feeling annoyed with Kazu for showing concern for his friend and asking about his whereabouts. She would have done the same thing in his shoes (though admittedly in a more polite and roundabout way than the path Kazu had taken). Seeing that Kazu was satisfied with his answer, Nami Asagi returned to the chalkboard to continue the lesson from where she had left off, using the lesson to distract herself from wondering how Takato was coping with his grief.

Jeri smiled faintly after finding out about why Takato hadn't shown up at his desk (also explaining why he hadn't appeared during recess for that matter), but remained troubled. Her mind wandered a bit as Ms. Asagi continued to go on about the lesson, which was an analysis of the old Japanese myth about the two deities _Izanagi_ and _Izanami_ , who, according to the story, had helped with the shaping of the world and had become married, only to be parted when Izanami, the female deity, had died giving birth to _Kagututi_ , the incarnation of fire. The story had gone on from there with Izanagi went down to the underworld, desiring to bring her back. Things didn't turn out the way that he had hoped and the pair had had a _falling out of sorts_ , to summarize things quickly and in the end threats and promises were made and the two parted forever, with Izanami remaining in the realm of _Yomi,_ the underworld, nursing a deep rooted resentment towards everything that lived. At least, that was the impression that Jeri was under, having read the story before. Although she doubted that Takato and Guilmon were fated to have a similar experience, she couldn't help but find some irony in the tale's telling. Two beings parted forever more when they shouldn't have been.

But Jeri couldn't fault Ms. Asagi for the timing of her lesson plan.

Taking down some notes, Jeri thought about checking in on Takato after school let out.

* * *

Lucemon breathed a silent sigh, a sound that was unbecoming of a digimon of his status, but then, being incapacitated was also unbecoming of him as well. Especially since he was in the home of a mere human. Nothing against them, but it just seemed embarrassing to be cared for by one when he was used to looking after himself. He had defeated digimon who were far more powerful than most digimon, survived dangers that would surely have destroyed Ultimate level digimon, and had recently destroyed the creature that had once nearly annihilated the digital world. Now here he was, affectively as _weak as a newborn_ , and if there was one thing that Lucemon despised, it was being weak or being left in a position where he was unable to fend for himself. There was nothing he could really do about it this time though. His present state was really his own fault, having unleashed an attack at point blank range to dispatch his attackers. Seeing as how it was the choice of getting away injured or being deleted on the spot, he knew that there wasn't much to making that decision.

The girl, the human child Noriko hadn't been around when he had woken up and found himself back in the bed that he had gotten out of. But the girl's _mother_ (a concept that Lucemon still found a little confusing), whose name he had found out was Aiko, had remained in the house to keep an eye on him. He was a little dumbfounded at her curiosity over him, but she had so far approached him with only a few questions as to his identity, the nature of what he was, and what he had been doing here in the real world, taking all of it in rather easily with a calm, mature smile while listening to what he had to say in his defense, interrupting only once to ask him if he wanted something to eat (to which he had replied _yes_ after noticing the odd empty feeling that gnawed at his stomach. A little strange to him to be sure, since he wasn't used to that sensation), and then resuming the conversation after fixing the angel a meal and presenting it to him. Lucemon ate rather conservatively as he spoke, testing the food cautiously (something that Aiko had found to be rather amusing) before swallowing. She had been surprised to find out about his mission, mostly over the realization that the _Tamers_ , as she had called the city's defenders (though she herself knew only a little about them), had allowed something as dangerous as _Megidramon_ to exist in the real world. Of course, Lucemon hadn't told her all the details of his encounter with the digimon that had once digivolved to that creature, but it seemed to him that she regarded the Tamers in a favorable light, having related to their exploits against the malicious program D-Reaper and the much later Parasimon invasion, of which Lucemon knew almost next to nothing about, except that everything he had sensed and heard at the time of that incident was that there had been a massive amount of digimon breaking through the barriers between the worlds. No cause for it had yet been established when he left for the real world to deal with Megidramon. In either case it didn't matter. Lucemon's current goal was to recover from his injuries, scour this world for any remaining Virus digimon and then return to the digital world with a job well done.

Laying back, Lucemon's mind began to drift. He could hear the human woman, Aiko, humming some soft melody as she went about the house, wondering about it as he drifted off to sleep. Eventually he decided that humans were strange creatures, but for now was grateful that at least some of them were helping him rather than impeding his mission. His previous experiences had not proven so fortunate.

* * *

Aiko slid the door open slightly to check up on her family's _guest_ to make sure that he was comfortable before closing the door once more. Although she found the fact that she was caring for a digimon, one that resembled an angel no less, interesting and, dare she say it, strange, it wasn't something that she was going to worry about too much. She supposed that D-Reaper and Parasimon had numbed her to the sudden and unexpected appearances of digital life forms that more often than not wrecked some havoc on the city of Shinjuku (why they regularly chose Shinjuku was something that bothered her from time to time, but no one had yet to supply an answer on that one, not even the Monster Makers when they had been interviewed for the _Digimon Documentary_ back during D-Reaper). Even so, despite having been desensitized to the now regular oddities, she found this _Lucemon_ interesting for the high level of maturity that he had for a being that only looked like a child, and at the same time a little disturbed at the emotional coldness in his voice when he had told her that he had _deleted_ his target. There was something in the way he spoke, as though he were completely removed from the consequences of his actions, which just didn't sit right with her.

_Are all digimon like this back where they come from?_ Wondered Aiko as she headed into her home's living room and checked the time. It was 2:30. Aiko shook her head sadly and turned on the television, lowering the volume so as to not disturb the angel.

_It must be a sad and lonely life if digimon are so callous about ending another beings life._

Aiko glanced at the clock again. Her children would be home soon.

* * *

The bell rang, signaling the end of another school day, and Henry (without Terriermon perched on his shoulder, having stayed home today to keep Suzie company), Kazu (surprisingly dodging detention for once), Kenta, and Jeri left the grounds with the intention of going on down to Takato's home to check up on him after he had been sent home by Ms. Asagi. Henry had given a call to Ryo and Rika to see if they were going to do the same but only Rika was going to be able to make it. Apparently Ryo was having some trouble with his partner, Cyberdramon. He was in one of his fighting moods, so the Legendary Tamer believed that it wouldn't be a good idea to leave the Ultimate alone or take him anywhere until the mood passed. How soon Rika would show up depended on her mode of travel (being either her feet or Kyubimon) and whether or not she decided to stop off at home first before doing anything else. Well, they'd find out when they got there.

Kenta, like the rest of them was worried about Takato and had voiced it many times during the course of the four days that Guilmon had been dead, though he knew that like Jeri before him his current depression was justifiable, and the rest of the others shared this thought. Kenta, Kazu, Rika, and Henry especially wondered what it would be like to lose their partners; not just having them sent back to the digital world like after defeating D-Reaper, but really losing them. This question had been on their minds of late, like an itch that refused to be scratched. It was maddening, and it was only made worse by the fact that Takato was living out their fears at this very moment. The way Jeri did as well. They only hoped that Takato would snap out of it the way she did and move on.

But of course, the road wouldn't be easy for him, and they all had to be there to help him get through it okay.

* * *

They met up with Rika outside of the Matsuki Bakery as she was climbing off of Kyubimon in the side alley so as to not disturb any customers. With a nod, the group of children entered the bakery, having reopened for business (though the mood of its owners was rather sullen). A quick question to Takato's parents and they were directed to his room, Rika and Henry taking the lead as they climbed the stairs that led to their friend.

* * *

Rika opened the door quietly and the children all filed in before shutting the door behind them. They found Takato at his desk, slumped over, his head resting on his arms as though he were asleep. Henry and Rika approached his still form to make sure that everything was all right with the Gogglehead…

Rika let out a sigh as she noticed that Takato wasn't wearing his goggles again. He had taken to not having them since Guilmon died, like he had after their partner's were sent back to the digital world. Back then though, it was more like he had simply hung them up in his closet or something, waiting for the day that Guilmon and the others returned so that he could pull them out of retirement and begin again where they had left off. Taking a look over the contents of his desk and quickly glancing around the room revealed that the pair of goggles that had made her give him the nickname that had stuck to him like glue since she had first seen him was nowhere to be found. Though she felt that it didn't necessarily mean anything, the fact that they were missing almost seemed to carry a final note to it that suggested to her that Takato had definitely thrown in the towel.

Rika frowned at the thought, not liking it one bit. She had seen more than her fair share of suffering both from herself and from others (digital or otherwise) and because of this and her own merging with Renamon to become Sakuyamon she no longer cared for fighting as much as she once did. This by no means meant that she wouldn't fight when she had to (far from it in fact); she just hated to see the results of it and what it did to others.

As she looked at the boy whose partner she had once tried to kill, she noticed Takato twitch lightly, as though in reflex, and then mouth something inaudible before making a sorrowful moan. She remembered something that Jeri had told her once about how Takato had been having regular nightmares about losing Guilmon. Her face softening, Rika raised a hand and placed it gently on Takato's shoulder as Jeri, Kazu, and Kenta moved up to have their own look at their friend.

* * *

_Lucemon stared at Gallantmon with a calculating look._

_"So," he said calmly, as though he weren't at all engaged in a battle but rather in conversation. A less then friendly conversation. "The Great Beast has merged with a human and become a Royal Knight has he? How disgusting! You offend me Gallantmon. You are something that is not meant to exist, and as long as you do you threaten everything that lives…"_

_"Why don't we just talk about this?" Asked Gallantmon in the dual voices of Takato and Guilmon. "Why do you want to destroy us? What makes you think that we're a threat? We protect both the real world and the digital world!"_

_Lucemon just stared at Gallantmon with a bored expression, as though he were listening to some ignorant child._

_"Don't pretend that you don't know what I'm talking about. The power that you unleashed while you were in the digital world, the rage… it was felt everywhere, and it was observed by all who stand high in the ranks of the mighty. Everyone knows the name of the great dragon that shook the digital world…"_

_Lucemon paused, as though he were waiting for dramatic tension before continuing._

_"… Megidramon." The angel finished, the name carrying on the air as though it were a death sentence. In his data sphere, Takato felt shock fill his system but he recovered quickly._

_"You don't understand…" began Gallantmon, but Lucemon interrupted him. He spoke flatly, his words uncaring and carrying a heavy weight to them, putting everything, all blame on the exalted knight, and not even caring._

_"I don't have to."_

_Lucemon once more glowed, and before Gallantmon could stop him, spheres appeared around Lucemon resembling the planets and sun of Earth's solar system, arranged in a cross. Spreading his arms wide quickly the cross launched at Gallantmon, leaving him once more with no time to get out of the way._

_"Grand Cross!"_

* * *

 

_"Guilmon!"_

Takato snapped awake and nearly threw himself out of his chair, startling his friends who were right behind him. It took him only a second to realize that he was not still locked in a desperate battle with Lucemon, and only a second later to realize that he was not alone in his room. Actually, Kazu had a hand in that last realization.

"Nice going Rika," the boy said with dry sarcasm. "You freaked him out."

"Kazu!" Scolded Jeri and Takato craned his head just in time to see Rika's eyes narrow dangerously at the visor-wearing Tamer. Turning to the other side he saw that Henry stood there as well. Blinking a little, though not entirely surprised by his friends sudden appearance Takato tried to put on a relaxed appearance, but for the most part he failed in that regard.

"H-Hey guys," said Takato a little shakily, still trying to put on a façade. He didn't want his friends to worry about him.

"We just came up to check up on you," said Jeri with a nervous smile.

"Thanks," said Takato, dry swallowing to force down the feelings that were arising in his heart once again. Looking up at Jeri he forced a smile. "I'm doing fine."

Had he been looking at Rika, her eyes would have clearly told him that she didn't believe a word that he just said. Henry however did get that impression anyway and placed a hand on Takato's shoulder.

"We know that you're trying to deal with what happened Takato," said the Chinese boy. "But you know that we'll be here for you, and that you don't have to handle it on your own. Anything that you're feeling right now, you know that you can tell us, no matter what it is."

Kazu and Kenta nodded in full agreement, as did Jeri and Rika. Takato's smile became a little bit more genuine, touched by his friend's continued offer of support.

"Thanks you guys. I really appreciate it but… I'm fine. Really."

Henry sighed inwardly while Jeri and Rika watched Takato carefully. It still seemed like the former Tamer wasn't willing to let anyone in right now.

"…Except…" Takato paused, and his friend's leaned in to hear more closely what he had to say. It would seem though that their efforts were in vain, because after another moment Takato shook his head.

"Nothing. Nevermind," said Takato quietly as he looked down at the floor.

So that was it. They weren't going to get anything out of Takato, not unless they made him to, and they were loath to force Takato to do anything that he didn't want to. All they could do was remind Takato that no matter what, they would still be his friends and they would be there for him if and when he needed them. Jeri was about to do just that when Rika beat her to the punch.

"Takato," the red head began. "We know that what you're going through is tough, but that doesn't mean that you should shut us out of your problems just because you're afraid of us getting hurt as well. That's what I used to do back when I didn't _have_ any friends or trust anyone to be one and look where it almost got me. I've had to listen to both yours and Henry's _friendship_ speeches during that entire time too I might add…" Rika paused and frowned, realizing that her tone was taking on a far to sarcastic note for what she was trying to say. "What I'm trying to say is, don't do what I did okay? You…" Rika paused again as she searched Takato's eyes for any kind of reaction that would tell her that she was getting through to him. "…You matter to much to us to end up like that."

Rika's eyes softened a little.

" _I_ wouldn't want you to be like that," she said in a quieter, but still audible voice.

Kenta glanced over at Kazu to see if he had a sarcastic comment to make on that last line, but fortunately it looked like that wasn't the case this time around. Well, that would probably change by tomorrow…

Takato cast his eyes back down towards the floor for a moment before looking at Rika once again, forcing on another smile as his eyes became a little wet around their edges, forcing him to look back down again so that none of them would see his tears.

"Thanks Rika," whispered Takato.

* * *

The sun dipped towards the horizon as Rika exited the Matsuki Bakery and walked over to Kyubimon, waving goodbye to Henry, Kazu, and Kenta. Her thoughts were noticeably elsewhere, focusing instead on the friend that sat up in the room on the bakery's second floor. Kyubimon didn't yet interrupt her from her train of thought, knowing that Rika would eventually do so on her own. Rika looked at Kyubimon with a sad look on her face and pulled her in tight for a hug, her arms clasped tightly to her partner as she gave a light gasp, trying to get a grip on herself and hold back the tears that would surely come if she didn't. She no longer saw tears as something to be ashamed of, having cried for her partner on more than one occasion in the past, but holding them back was more about an issue of control, and to find some measure of consistency in these changing times. Kyubimon didn't comment on them, but instead offered what comfort she could to her partner until she was done.

"Rika?" Called out a voice quietly, and Rika almost flung away from Kyubimon. She caught herself at the last moment though, and instead detached herself slowly and carefully, wiping her eyes before turning to see Jeri standing out at the end of the alley, hands clasped anxiously together and a worried look on her face.

"Jeri," said Rika, a little surprised that the girl hadn't yet left to go home. Well, maybe she wanted to stay with Takato a little bit longer. She had been doing that since Guilmon died after all. "What's up?"

Jeri smiled softly.

"I just wanted to thank you for what you did for Takato today. I think he really needed to hear that."

Rika _hmmphed_ , not really sure what her little _pep talk_ had really done. Takato still seemed intent on holding things in.

"Well… you're welcome I guess…"

"I mean it though. Even though Takato doesn't look like he wants to share anything with us, he knows that we're there for him."

_Like we haven't told him that enough times already,_ thought Rika a little bitterly, but immediately berated herself for that thought. They were still trying to help him get through his grief, and that would require a little patience on all their parts.

"I'm sure that it also meant a lot to him hearing it come from you," continued Jeri. "You're one of his closest friends and…" Jeri looked to the side; as though she were a little embarrassed by whatever she was going to say next. "…Um… you always did seem a little… um…"

Rika cocked an eyebrow, and for the first time that day gave an amused smirk at the puppet-loving girl.

"Cold?" She supplied. Jeri looked a little more ashamed.

"I… it's just what I've heard about you before we became friends… and some of the things that you said at the memorial. I know that you haven't been that way in a long time but what I was trying to say is, because of that, he may have appreciated your input more than the rest of us. Especially since you, him, and Henry work so closely together…"

"Jeri," began Rika. "You really shouldn't devalue yourself like that. With the amount of time you've been spending with him, keeping him company, you've been doing a lot for him, and I'm sure that he appreciates it a lot too. Don't worry yourself to much over whether or not you're doing enough for him, just so long as you continue to be there for him. Okay?"

"I guess…" Jeri sounded uncertain of herself. Rika walked up to the girl and placed a hand on her shoulder, giving a small smile at her as she did so.

"Trust me. Takato needs you more than you'll ever know."

Jeri seemed to brighten up at this and gave Rika a quick hug, one that she returned gratefully before pulling away. After she did that Rika then indicated the bakery with a nod of her head.

"You going to stick around here for a little bit longer, or do you want me to give you a lift home?"

Jeri smiled and shook her head.

"Thanks Rika, but my Dad will be stopping by later to pick me up. I should probably stay with Takato a little longer to keep him company."

Rika smiled warmly as she turned and climbed onto Kyubimon's back.

"Okay. Just don't let him do anything stupid."

Jeri returned the smile.

"I won't Rika."

And with a quick nod at Jeri and a light nudge with her legs, Kyubimon took off towards Rika's home.

* * *

Later that night Rika lay on her futon, thinking of the day's events, and more specifically of Takato. Guilmon's loss continued to hit him hard and it showed, though he tried to hide it. His smiles for one, were no longer the same as they once had been, being more forced, empty, and without any of the radiance to them that could brighten a day no matter what slings and arrows it threw at you. Not that she expected anything different from someone whose best friend had been deleted right in front of their eyes, it was just with Takato sadness looked unnatural. She had in times past chided him for being to ignorant and naïve to be a real Tamer, acting more like a kid (even though they really all were little more than children themselves) than as a person who had been entrusted with guarding the real world from the dangers of the digital world. Though he had matured quite a lot over the course of their adventures, he never lost that child-like innocence, or that goofy smile that seemed to almost always be permanently plastered on his face.

But now…

Looking up at the ceiling of her room Rika found that she missed Takato's smiles and Guilmon's clumsy and childish antics. Those two together, despite being such obvious disasters in their own right, had a way to defuse any situation, or at least make it easier to bear so that everyone could get through it okay. For one to be without the other was… _unnatural_. But since there didn't seem to be anything that she could do to change Guilmon's current destiny (death being the sort of destiny of the more _final_ type) she would settle for seeing Takato smile and hearing him laugh again without there being any pain behind them.

_I just want my Gogglehead back_ , thought Rika as she looked at the ceiling a moment longer before turning her head to look at her digivice. Its screen was currently blank. With an audible sigh, Rika closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.

* * *

The darkness was back once again, and just as before it surrounded Takato with a suffocating sense of _closeness_. He had never been claustrophobic before but this time seemed to be the exception. Panic settled in on his mind, and though Takato tried to hold it back, it continued to build up, threatening to erode and overwhelm his defenses unless he found a way out, and soon. From out of the darkness came a voice that both calmed him and filled his heart with happiness, while at the same time made him feel hollow on the inside.

_"Takato…"_ whispered the voice, and he knew right away that it belonged to his lost partner, Guilmon. It wasn't fair! They had _promised_ that they would always be together! _Promised_ , and yet somehow life found a way to make them break that promise. All that time of going on faith and hopes and dreams and in the end they hadn't saved his friend…

A light suddenly bloomed in the darkness, and Guilmon appeared in it, running towards Takato with a wide smile, beaming with happiness. Takato returned it as he stretched out his arms to receive his partner, no longer caring if the reptile pounced on him. All that mattered was that his friend had come back to him…

_"Takato!"_

Suddenly the light narrowed and ripped through Guilmon, sending red shards of data flying past Takato's outstretched arms. Collapsing to the ground, Takato cried out his partner's name, the sound of it echoing in the vast expanse of nothingness, as though it could reach beyond infinity and still be heard.

* * *

Takato sat up in his bed with a gasp and a barely restrained sob, realizing that tears were rolling down his cheeks. His body heaving uncontrollably Takato buried his face in his hands.

_I don't think that I can do this,_ the boy thought as a sense of desperation filled him. _I can't go on like this. It's just too much! Before I met Guilmon I couldn't imagine what life would be like with a digimon, but after I couldn't imagine life without him. I just want Guilmon back! I just want my friend…_

Suddenly, that thought that he had had a couple days ago emerged in his mind, where it sat and took hold, almost forcing him to see it and ponder it for what it was.

When he had first scanned his drawings of Guilmon he had unconsciously made a wish, one that the wish granters known as _Digignomes_ had made real. Since D-Arcs were made after a sense by the Digignomes after getting the algorithm from the Monster Makers…

Could he _wish_ Guilmon back to life?

Better question: _Should_ he?

As if in answer, Takato climbed down from his bed and walked over to his desk and picked up his digivice and original sketch of his partner, untying the rubber band that held Guilmon's stats together first before holding it and the D-Arc in his hands, contemplating what he was thinking of doing. His heart beat wildly, nervous beyond anything that he had felt before. His mouth became dry as he unconsciously raised the drawing to the slot, his mind seemed to have lost all conscious control of his movements, but in one last moment of self-doubt, Takato paused.

* * *

Rika felt as though she was floating as she slept, and after what seemed like a few moments and a few failed attempts to shake the feeling off, she opened her violet eyes and they widened in surprise as she realized that she was in Takato's room. More importantly, she was _floating_ over Takato. He was standing in front of his desk, looking at his digivice and drawings of his partner with a lost look on his face, one that spoke of sadness so deep that Rika felt her heart reach out to him, wanting to hold him, tell him that it would all be all right and…

_Hold on,_ thought Rika as she saw him lift Guilmon's drawing. _What's he doing?_

She remembered him saying that this was how Guilmon had first come into existence. How he had slashed his drawings through the D-Arc's slot and it created a digi-egg on its screen. Was she somehow seeing this being reenacted in her dream?

Her eyes narrowed in concentration as she recalled Takato once telling her about how he had seen her in a dream before they had met. Did this happen to him or…?

Rika's mind halted in its questions as she saw Takato pause for a second, and in one moment of crystal clear understanding, she realized that she wasn't seeing Takato slashing his drawings for the first time, but instead she was somehow seeing Takato about to slash them for a second time.

Why?

The answer hit her like a Locomon.

_Takato's trying to bring Guilmon back_ …

But that was insane! Takato wouldn't do something like that! Not like this anyway. Well… maybe he would, but he would probably mention it to Henry first before he even tried it just to see what he thought of the idea. As thickheaded as Takato could be he couldn't be that dumb! And besides, wasn't this all just a dream anyways?

But as the drawing began to fit into the slot, Rika realized that she was beyond caring whether or not this was all just a dream. Frantically, she yelled for Takato to stop what he was doing…

Sparks flew from Takato's D-Arc as the first drawing was slashed.


	9. Coming Alive Again

Takato awoke in bed, a cold sweat tracing its way down his face and causing him to shudder slightly as he gripped his digivice viselike in his right hand. He had just awoken from an awful dream. In it, his friends were attacking… Takato's eyes closed tightly as he tried to remember what it was that he had dreamed. What and why his friends were fighting… whatever it was that was in his dream. For some reason he couldn't remember it to well. All he could see in his minds eye was the vague outline of some serpent like creature with arms and dragon like wings. It was somehow _familiar_ to him, but for the life of him, Takato couldn't make the connection between it and anything that he had seen before.

Or maybe he didn't want to.

The sound of something pulsing caught Takato's attention and he turned to look at his D-Arc, seeing the digi-egg that was now represented on its screen, beating like a heart as it pulsed on the screen. Takato looked at it for a bit, wondering if he had done the right thing last night, rescanning his drawings, wondering if it was Guilmon, and if not what _his_ Guilmon would have to say about this.

_Knowing him, he'd probably be a little excited_ , thought Takato, thinking on his former partner. _Or at least curious about what might happen._

Takato had to admit that he felt a little curious himself about what would emerge from the digi-egg. Though he was sure that it would be a Guilmon, the question was would it be the same Guilmon that he had known when he had first started out as a Tamer? Would he remember anything if it was? For the first time in five days, Takato no longer felt as though he were drowning in a well of despair. For the first time in five days, he felt hope.

_I hope that it hatches soon,_ thought Takato as he looked at the egg. Takato frowned at the screen.

_That's weird. I don't remember Guilmon's egg having black spots on it. The first time I had one; Guilmon's egg had red spots. Didn't it?_

Takato tried to remember what he had seen the day that Guilmon's digi-egg had first appeared, but he couldn't quite seem to recall what it had looked like, besides the fact that it had been egg-shaped.

With a sigh, Takato ran a hand through his hair, and stopped as though something was missing. Lowering his hand, Takato turned his attention to it and pondered it for a moment, that sense of something _missing_ not leaving him. After a few moments, something clicked.

_Oh. Right. My goggles. I left them in Guilmon's old den. I'll have to go get them back… if it's Guilmon, he may not recognize me. I just hope that he remembers the goggles, or at least that he likes bread._

Takato climbed out of bed and opened the glass door that led out to his balcony, his gaze drawn to the Hypnos towers, standing tall and ominous in Shinjuku. A visible symbol and reminder of that strange dimension composed of the Earth's Internet connections. He wondered what Yamaki would say about this. It was certainly a first after all, another to tack onto his already long list. And who knows. It might even give Jeri hope for the future.

That is, if things worked out.

Takato stepped out onto the balcony, taking note of the gathering of dark clouds off in the distance. It was just a small number right now, but they told him that there was a chance that there would be rain later. How long it would be before the possible storm hit, he did not know. He just hoped that he got Guilmon back before it came. Going back inside, Takato began to make plans for his day. Ms. Asagi had told him to take today off, and he was going to make the most of the time that she had given him.

* * *

Renamon watched her Tamer carefully as she got ready for school, her motions strangely agitated, rushed, and every so often she would pause in what she was doing and mutter something under her breath. Something that sounded to the vulpines ears like 'it was just a dream', and it caused Renamon to tilt her head to one side in confusion. Rika hadn't been like this before as far as she could recall, and the fact that this had started up after she had woken up in the middle of the night from what she had said was a nightmare, which was an oddity in itself. Rika rarely had nightmares, and when she did it was even more rare that they disturbed her to the degree that this one had. So far she refused to comment on it, saying that she was fine, but every time she said that it sounded more like Rika was trying to convince herself of that. Her eyes would then look introspective as though she were having a private debate with herself. Though Renamon didn't doubt that Rika would tell her eventually, no doubt needing some time to figure out if it was necessary, she did wish that Rika would just tell her what was going on. Not since their early days as partners had Rika held anything back from her, so what was it that could possibly make her revert to that old habit now?

_Whatever it is,_ thought Renamon _It certainly has her mind occupied._

The memory of the battle with Lucemon, the rage that Rika had felt, mirroring her own, over the death of Guilmon, and Rika's show of affection towards her after yesterday, made her wonder if her partner's current state of mind was a delayed reaction over the loss of their friend.

_Guilmon…_

Renamon looked outside, her gaze traveling up to the sky as an image of the crimson dinosaur flittered across her mind, and with it came a great amount of pity for the young boy that had been his partner. Raising her paw, Renamon looked down at it, taking a moment to think on the childish dinosaur that had first started out as her enemy, and then had grown to become a friend that she could respect despite his own quirks and oddities. She recalled all the unexpected moments when those two had shown hidden reservoirs of strength despite their lack of experience. From their first meeting, the appearance of Gallantmon, the many battles against D-Reaper and its agents, and during the Parasimon when they had mode changed…

As a warrior, Renamon more than expected to lose friends and comrades in battle, and it was something that Rika expected as well, though she never spoke of it. This knowledge however, did not make things easier to cope with. Renamon would accept losses as they came and move on. It was a fact of life after all, one that she had learned through bitter experience during her life in the digital world, and though she was sure that Rika agreed with her, she had not had the same kinds of experiences or the same amount to be able to move on as easily. Perhaps that was the reason behind Rika's current mind frame.

Renamon snapped out of her thoughts as Rika slid open the door to her room, garbed in the uniform of her private school and headed towards the gate of her home.

"I'm going to school now, Grandma!" The red haired girl called out.

"Okay dear," called out Seiko Hata from within the house. "Have a good day!"

Rika opened up the gates and exited the Nonaka grounds. Renamon leapt up to the wall that surrounded the Nonaka residence and phased out of view as she began to follow her Tamer as she went on her way to school, a thought escaping her mind as she did so.

_Goodbye Guilmon. You will be missed._

* * *

Terriermon sat on Henry's shoulder, looking at the expression on his partners face with worry. Henry was currently in deep thought, so deep that it would probably take a MetalGreymon firing off a Giga Blaster attack to get him to take notice of the world around him. He had been this way a lot since the day Guilmon died. No surprise there. Just about everyone was out of sorts over the red dino, Takato more so than anyone else in the group. Henry had been a little disappointed when Ryo told him that he didn't think that he'd be finding a way to the digital world again anytime soon. Those portals, the ones leading to rather than from the digital world (such as the one that had brought him and Cyberdramon together shortly after he won that tournament match against Rika) were hard to come by, and usually required some form of outside assistance, usually in the form of another digimon or Juggernaut if a portal wasn't already available. And since the one in Guilmon's old home had shortly after the Tamers had gotten their partners back, it didn't seem likely that they were going to be able to enter the digital world. Not unless they were able to get some help from Yamaki and Hypnos…

Actually, that was something that Henry had been especially interested in finding out from his dad. What Hypnos was planning to do, if anything, about Guilmon. Janyu hadn't been forthcoming about anything that he and his colleagues were doing at the government agency. The two had had a conversation about the makeup of a digimon, and the possibility of Guilmon's data still being in the real world, but didn't offer much hope for any solutions that could change things for Guilmon. It had been one of the rare moments that Terriermon had ever seen Henry angry, but there had also been a sense of acceptance over his fathers words. Not resignation, since he still had hope that something could be done; just accepting what his father had to say on the matter, no matter how often Henry asked.

Terriermon, for his part, suggested that Hypnos put up a statue of Guilmon in the park as a sort of tribute to him. Maybe something in onyx…

Of course, Henry had to interrupt him with his usual _'Terriermon'_ , giving him a glare for added emphasis. Well, maybe he had sounded like he was joking to his partner (and in a way he had been, but only a little. He _did_ believe that something more should be done for Guilmon to make sure that he wouldn't be forgotten), and it did seem a tad bit insensitive as well, given the way things had been going for the past few days.

However, Terriermon remembered something that Henry had once told Takato about how nothing lasts forever. This was around the time early in their adventures when Guilmon had been nearly erased by a strange digital field. No reason for why it had happened when it did was ever discovered. For all anyone knew it was one of those random computer hiccups that sometimes occur and was simply reflected in the digital world. Of course, the fact that it had targeted Guilmon first out of all the possible digimon was rather strange, but then, Guilmon was a strange and unique digimon. There wasn't another one like him in the entire universe, digital or otherwise, and now it looked like there never would be again.

_Weird_ , thought Terriermon. _I never thought of it before. But I guess that means that Guilmon is now an extinct species._

Terriermon's eyes became saddened at this thought.

_I hope things go well for Takato in the end. As much as I hate to admit it, I miss his usual goofiness. It's just not the same with him moping around like this. And what's even worse, I can't blame him for being that way._

Terriermon started slightly at the sound of Henry's tired sigh. Terriermon raised an ear and wrapped it gently around his partner's head, giving him something akin to a comforting hug before saying the one word that he always said, rain or shine. It was his way of trying to make people feel better, even if it could bug them sometimes.

"Momentai…"

* * *

Renamon phased into view on a tree, wondering why Rika was walking through the park instead of heading off to school like she was supposed to. Watching her Tamers movements, Renamon saw that her partner was heading in the direction of Guilmon's home. Jumping out of the tree that she was in (startling some morning joggers as she did so), Renamon fell into step beside Rika as though she were just a regular part of everyday life. Which, in a way, she was.

"Taking the scenic route to school, aren't we?"

Rika shrugged nonchalantly, not really making much effort to respond to her partner's question. Her face held a confused, troubled look as she continued to move, her school bag swinging slightly in tune with her steps. Renamon sighed.

"Rika, you seem _disturbed_ by something. Is everything all right?"

Rika thought about Renamon's question as they approached a familiar staircase. After a few seconds of silence, Rika spoke.

"Renamon? Do you remember what Takato said that day that I invited him down to my house? Back when we met him in that alley?"

"Of course," said Renamon simply. She remembered that day quite well. It was the first time that they had met and _didn't_ fight (with the exception of the battle with the Vilemon at Takato and Henry's school). Takato had claimed to just be looking for some answers about digimon, Guilmon had claimed Takato to be his mother, and Rika taunted the poor boy. Admittedly the encounter hadn't been a friendly one, but it was a far cry from the first time that they met.

"Do you remember what Takato told me when we got to my house?" Rika asked carefully, as though she wasn't sure whether or not the subject had a place with her own mindset. As they began to climb the stairs leading to Guilmon's old home, Renamon thought back a little more. She had a good mind for remembering things, stemming from her own discipline and training as a warrior. Something learned, whether or not that it had to do with fighting, could one day save your life. That and, as she had discovered much later, it left her with memories that she would always treasure and hold dear.

Takato and Rika had talked about quite a few things the day that day, but one thing that she recalled especially about that meeting was what Takato had said to Rika…

"He said that he dreamt you if I'm not mistaken," Renamon said finally. Rika nodded slowly, never taking her eyes off of Guilmon's shed. Renamon looked at Rika, head tilted slightly in confusion.

"Why are you asking me about it now?" Asked Renamon.

Rika didn't turn to look at Renamon when she answered, continuing to stare straight ahead as they mounted the stairs. They were almost outside of the gate now.

"I… I had a dream about Takato last night," said Rika, her voice sounding a little fearful. Renamon just looked at Rika, searching her face for any emotions that it might hold. Rika didn't try to hide any from her, and what her face told the vulpine digimon was that she was afraid. As though whatever it was that she had dreamt upset her in some way. It didn't look like just _dreaming_ about Takato was what had upset her, but something that had happened in it.

"And?" Renamon prompted. Rika's eyes softened.

"I was in his room, floating… kind of weird, huh?"

Renamon nodded but didn't say anything, not wanting to interrupt the girl.

Rika continued.

"And… Takato was beneath me. He was holding his digivice and his picture of Guilmon and he looked… so sad. Lost. And…" Rika paused and shook her head. She was drifting from the point of the conversation. "… And I saw him scan his drawing of Guilmon."

That did it. Renamon wasn't one to be normally surprised by anything, but this was one of the few that made the list. Almost missing a step, Renamon's right foot didn't quite clear the stair, and bumped into the stone surface. It didn't show on her face, but her sudden decline from keeping up with Rika caught the girl's attention.

"Renamon?"

"I'm fine, Rika," said the kitsune as her tail twitched lightly. "Just… _surprised_. That's all."

Rika nodded, though she was faintly amused at Renamon's _slip_.

"I know. I didn't believe it when I saw it either…"

Renamon raised an eyebrow.

"You say this as though it had actually happened."

Rika lowered her eyes.

"I don't know how I can explain it, but… I just feel as though that what I saw _did_ happen. It's probably just my imagination, but then I think of what Takato said about dreaming me so I can't help but wonder about it."

"Rika," began Renamon. "If there's one thing that I know, even though there's a possibility that you might have had that dream because you were worried about Takato, it might be possible that what you saw was real. That is, if what Takato said about his dreaming about you was true, and I believe that he was telling the truth that he did…"

Rika frowned, not sure what to make of the idea of her dreaming about Takato the way he did about her. Seemed rather prophetic to her. And a little disturbing.

"But why would Gogglehead do such a thing though?" Asked Rika. Renamon looked away.

"One can't say for sure how they will react when they lose a loved one. Takato said that he created Guilmon by scanning drawings of him with his D-Arc. He may have thought that doing so again would bring him back to life."

"If only things were that simple," muttered Rika as she resumed her journey back up the stairs. Renamon looked at the young girl.

"Rika? Why are we here? Not that I'm not happy that we're having a discussion, especially one that concerns you and one of your friends, but shouldn't you be in school now?"

"I know. I just… wanted to pay my respects to Guilmon again before I went to school. It didn't feel right saying it the first time."

Renamon shrugged. Personally she thought that Rika's speech at the memorial wasn't that bad, but this was something that Rika felt that she had to do.

"I see," said Renamon as she followed Rika. The girl paused outside of the metal gate and opened it with a creaking sound. Her violet eyes traced over the cold stone, trying to shake off the feeling that she was looking more at a grave rather than the home of an old friend and regular hangout. She finally looked down at the flowers and picture of Guilmon that had been laid down at the memorial…

And then she saw them.

_Takato's goggles…_ thought Rika as she bent down and picked them up. _So that's where they had gone._

Renamon approached from behind and looked at the item in Rika's hand, and cocked an eyebrow. She recognized them all right. There was no mistaking them as she had seen them around the head of one Takato Matsuki more than enough times to memorize them. The question though was, _why?_

_Gogglehead…_

Rika closed her hand around the goggles, holding them tightly for a moment before pulling out her bag, opening it and placed her friends property in it with her school supplies. She would give them to Takato later when she got out of school but until then…

"Renamon? Could you do me a favor and keep an eye on Takato? Nothing special, just make sure that he stays out of trouble."

Renamon tilted her head to one side, a little unsure as to why Rika was asking her this, but decided to do as she had asked.

"Of course."

"Thanks," said the red haired girl as she turned and headed towards the entrance of the concrete shed. "I'd better get going now. I don't want to be late."

"Do you want me to get you there?" Asked Renamon. Rika shook her head, though she was a little tempted to say yes.

"No thanks. I've got to think for a little bit. Besides, I could probably _use_ the exercise. I'll see you after school, Renamon."

And with that, Rika took off down the steps, Renamon watching her go for a second before phasing out of view.


	10. The Hope and the Approaching Storm

Henry sighed as he tried to focus on the lesson that his teacher was droning on about, but unfortunately for him his mind kept drifting away and tuning out the words. Hardly any surprise since he had a lot on his mind; Guilmon's death, his worries for his friend Takato, his own hopes that his father or Hypnos could do something to help the goggle-wearing Tamer. Secretly he harbored the hope that his father would find some way to bring Guilmon back from deletion. A strange thing for him to hope for he supposed, since for the majority of his life he had held a realistic view of the world, and he had told Takato something along the lines of his personal philosophy. _Nothing lasts forever_ he had said, and Takato had simply denied that universal truth with all the strength of his youthful innocence, his hopes and his dreams. It was rather ironic that Takato had proven time and time again throughout their adventures in the real world and digital world that wishes were what was needed to combat the dangers that they faced. Though Takato hadn't quite consciously realized this himself, Henry had latched onto it quickly when the Deva attacks reached their peak and drastic measures were needed. That was the difference between him and Takato. Takato could easily lay hold onto the aspirations of a child with sometimes frightening ease and never know it, while Henry had a harder time doing so (at least in the beginning) but recognized it far sooner than his friend did, using his martial arts disciplines to free his mind and take advantage of that inner strength.

Henry looked down at his sheet of note paper, void of the notes that he was supposed to be taking save for a few choppy sentences here and there, none of them quite coherent enough to be of any use for him should it be necessary to use them for studying. Not that he really thought it was important at the moment. His main line of thought remained focused on Takato and his plight.

 _There's_ got _to be a way that we can help Takato and Guilmon,_ Henry thought fiercely as he once more tried to jot down a few notes. After a few moments Henry caught the intensity of his thoughts and stopped writing, looking at his hand as it held the pencil on the paper.

 _When did I start sounding like that?_ Wondered Henry, surprised at himself. _When did I start sounding desperate?_

The answer was simple. A friend of his had been hurt in an almost unimaginable way, and he felt helpless to do anything about it. He supposed that this was what Takato had felt the day Leomon had died, when their friend Jeri lost her partner. They had all moved on since then, though they carried the lion warrior's memory with something akin to reverence. Thinking back on it now, Henry found it odd that he should be showing so much more concern for Takato's loss than he had for Jeri. Of course, it could be said that he just wasn't as close to Jeri as Takato was. That and that they had to move on and complete their mission so that the Champion's sacrifice would not be in vain, and doing so made it that much easier to bear the pain… at least for some of them.

Glancing at the window, Henry noted the ominous clouds that were gathering in the skies above Shinjuku and couldn't help but feel that they fit the prevailing mood of the Tamers perfectly.

Henry sighed once again, catching the attention of one of the students next to him. A girl with closely cropped dark hair and red eyes, but he ignored her, as he was too caught up in his own thoughts. The girl held her gaze on him for a moment before returning to her work, her pencil scribbling down the notes that their teacher was writing on the chalkboard. Henry's mind turned to a conversation that he had had with his father two days ago, about how Yamaki had allowed Shibumi access to Hypnos resources. He had told him this in confidence. Even though he hadn't been strictly ordered not to say anything about Shibumi's supposed _project_ that seemed to revolve around Guilmon (of which Janyu wouldn't give any details), as there was an unspoken desire to not get any of the Tamers hopes up, Janyu told his son anyway, since Henry was close to Takato as well as a Tamer. Henry could understand his father's, and Hypnos's reasonings for not wanting to say anything, but he still pressed his father for any news that he had on the project. He wanted to hope that things would end well for Takato despite his own reservations and beliefs to the contrary. Even so, he had to prepare himself for if and when things didn't turn out the way that he hoped they would.

 _I wonder what would happen to Takato as time goes on?_ Wondered Henry for what had to be the hundredth time in the past four days. _Would he drift away from us because of our Tamer duties? Because he can no longer actively participate in them and help us out?_

Henry wished that Terriermon were there to berate him for having such thoughts. Jeri hadn't stopped hanging out with them because she was no longer a Tamer. While Henry believed that being with them brought back memories of Leomon, he could tell that she had moved passed them. Sure they left scars, but she considered her friends to be a very important part of her life, and she wouldn't abandon them because of her own feelings. She did, after all, forgive Impmon, who had been the digimon responsible for killing her partner.

 _The difference is though that Takato has been with Guilmon longer than Jeri had been with Leomon. Takato had_ created _Guilmon as well as merged with him, so those two are every bit a part of each other as an arm or a leg. Takato's used to the life that he had being a Tamer, and has a very strong bond with Guilmon. I remember how when we were facing down Beelzemon outside of Zhuqiaomon's fortress, right before the cavalry arrived to save us, how he said that he felt so useless in that battle because Growlmon wasn't there to help. Because he didn't have the strength to fight Beelzemon. Would that keep him from continuing to be with us? Because he might not have a place with us anymore without Guilmon by his side? I remember him telling me once, shortly before we got our partners back, that he was worried that it was just the digimon that had kept us together as a group as well as friends and that without them… we drifted. I don't want Takato to think like that. But how do I get him to see his value to us as a friend and a Tamer? In a lot of ways he's been the heart and soul of our group. If we lost that… if we lost his friendship because of…_

_Snap!_

Henry blinked as the top half of his pencil fell onto his paper. The girl next to him, and a couple other students as well, turned to look in his direction with raised eyebrows at the sound before returning to their notes. He hadn't noticed that he had been putting pressure on his pencil. Sighing inwardly, Henry picked up the broken half that lay on his paper and set it aside before looking up at the board to see what notes he still had to copy. There were a lot of them it seemed…

 _Take Terriermon's advice for once, Henry,_ thought the boy. _Momentai…_

But it was so hard to take it easy at a time like this…

* * *

Like Henry, Rika's attention was focused somewhere other than what her teacher had to say. Resting her head on her left hand, Rika groaned inwardly, mentally kicking the teacher and the school for forcing her to be here while at the same time trying to focus on what the teacher was talking about, hoping that it would make time go by faster if she did. Besides, she shouldn't worry too much about Takato right now. Renamon had promised to keep an eye on him, so the odds of something bad happening to him were low. Right?

Images of her dream from last night, and of the pair of yellow goggles that now rested in her bag came to her mind and Rika frowned. She still didn't know what to make of that dream of hers. Sure, Takato rescanned his drawings of Guilmon, but what harm was there in that exactly? Actually, Rika had an idea that there was something about the idea that seemed wrong to her. Almost _offending_ her you could say, to think that something else could replace Guilmon even if it did look the same or even acted the same. To her, it would be like trying to replace Renamon, who she regarded as a very close friend, the closest one that she could ever have in ways that even transcended mere friendship.

 _Friendship doesn't begin to describe what Renamon and I share,_ thought Rika. _Nothing could replace her. I might have thought so a year ago but there's no way that I could think so now. Renamon, Guilmon… even that annoying rabbit Terriermon… they're not just data that you can discard and replace as though they were nothing. It would be like saying you could replace your family or your friends. It's just not something that you can do. How ironic that Gogglehead would do that, that is_ if _he did that like my dream showed me. What am I talking about? It was just a dream, right? Since when do dreams come true?_

_…_

_…_

_Okay. That thought sounded so stupid just now…_

Rika picked up her pencil and began jotting down a few notes, trying to take her mind off of the dream and of Takato as there was nothing that she could do about either of them until school let out. Looking up at the clock, Rika counted the seconds as they ticked by, demanding that the hands change to a time more favorable for her.

 _Stupid clock…_ the red haired Tamer growled.

* * *

The seemingly endless hours ticked down to the lunch period, and with a ring of the bell, Rika breathed a sigh of relief. Half the day was down already. All she had to do now was…

"Rika? Could you stay in class for a second?"

Rika looked up at her teacher, Mr. Ogawa, a little surprised that he had called on her, but after a moment she shrugged her shoulders and walked up to Mr. Ogawa's desk while her classmates filed outside. As soon as the last of them had exited the room (a few of them glancing at Rika with curious expressions, but they had kept to themselves) Mr. Ogawa turned to face Rika more fully.

"I've noticed a change in your attitude in class these past few days," said Mr. Ogawa, not wasting any time getting down to business. "You seem to be focused on something other than your schoolwork, and the assignments that you've turned in are not quite up to par with what you've shown yourself capable of doing previously. The fact that this change coincides with the recent attack in Shinjuku seems a little to close to be coincedential." Mr. Ogawa looked Rika in the eyes, searching them for anything that might give him a clue as to what was going on, but Rika's face remained emotionless.

Mr. Ogawa had been aware of Rika's _extracurricular activities_ since the D-Reaper invasion, having recognized her on the television screens despite her being surrounded by blue energy and having her hair down (these two factors had nearly rendered her unrecognizable at first, especially since the latter of which was so rare) and had taken to excusing her rare late appearances at school. He had tried to talk to the girl about this, wondering how she was coping with this kind of lifestyle, but since she never took him up on his offers for conversation, and since her grades had maintained their usual level of excellence, he rarely approached her about the subject, since she seemed to be handling it rather well (with one exception of when her partner had been forced to return to the digital world, but Mr. Ogawa didn't know about that since Rika hadn't said anything about that either). This time though, something was different, and Ogawa wanted to know why, and try if he could to help her. Seeing as how she had helped to save the city, shouldering responsibilities that were far beyond her years, he felt that he owed it to his student to try and help as best as he could in whatever ways were possible.

Rika looked at her teacher, pondering what he had said to her. Her first instinct was to disavow that there was anything wrong with her as she had done so in the past, or at least politely inform her teacher that though she appreciated his concern she would handle her problems on her own. But…

Rika frowned, thinking of the Lucemon that had destroyed their friend, and anger flashed in her eyes. Gripping her fist, Rika strained against the words, not sure how far to trust her teacher.

 _Even after all this time, it's still hard to fully trust other people,_ thought Rika irritably. _I can trust Renamon, my Mom and Grandma, Takato, Henry, Ryo, Jeri… even the moron twins with what's wrong with me. But when it comes to others…_

Fortunately, Ogawa had noticed her reactions and nodded slightly.

"Was a friend of yours hurt in that fight, Rika?"

Rika, a little taken off guard by the question, simply nodded, her frown not leaving her face. She thought of Takato's goggles that were stashed in her bag and once more anger burned in her mind. Ogawa wasn't quite sure where to take this. To anyone else he probably would have said that that was the sort of risk that you ran with this particular kind of life, but Rika already knew that. She had fought in a war after all (even if it was against a computer program), and knew a little of something about loss and sacrifice. Ogawa didn't want to tell her something that she already knew, especially since he himself hadn't experienced that sort of thing. No, it wouldn't do here.

With a mental sigh, Ogawa made a decision, even if it was a little irregular. But he did feel as though he owed it to her.

"Tell you what," said Ogawa. "Why don't you take the rest of the day off? Go home, visit your friend and help him out."

Rika blinked, stunned once again by what her teacher had said.

"But…" Rika began, but Ogawa cut her off.

"Look. It's obvious that this is distracting you, and with your…" Ogawa coughed. "… _Duties_ , I should think that your friends are going to be much more important."

Rika tilted her head to the side in a questioning manner as Renamon would when she was confronted with something that confused her.

"However," continued Ogawa. "I do expect you take some notes about today's lesson, and have them ready to hand in with your homework when you come back to school. I'm going to give you a pass and then contact the office and let them know what's going on so that they can contact your family."

Rika stared incredulously at her teacher, and just nodded. It would seem that her wish had been granted after all.

"Um… thanks," said Rika after she was done getting her bearings together. Ogawa smiled softly at the fiery Tamer.

"Don't mention it," he said.

* * *

Renamon phased into view just outside of Guilmon's former home and took a look around, carefully observing her surroundings. She had stopped by at the Matsuki bakery and found that Takato was not there. Her next step had been to go to the Shinjuku elementary school that Rika's friends attended but had not found a sign of him there either, having taken the time to search for his classroom (a fairly easy task since he was in the same room as that of Jeri, Kazu, and Kenta, and all the classrooms had windows, which gave her a clear view of the students gathered in them). This was the next stop on her list and so far it looked like he wasn't here.

 _Rika's not going to like this if I can't find him soon,_ thought Renamon worriedly as she panned around once more, her azure eyes taking in every detail, not missing a single thing. After a few more minutes, Renamon phased out of view, heading towards the park's playground area, as it was another one of Takato's hangouts, hoping that he would be there.

* * *

Takato had left the bakery as early as he could without attracting the suspicions of his parents. Saying that he was going to give school another chance today despite what Ms. Asagi had told him and if not... well, there was always the park, which his parents seemed to believe that he was headed down there anyway. In either case, Takato had gone down to the park and was saddened to find that his goggles, that had been left in Guilmon's first home in the real world, had gone missing. Although the flowers and picture remained, Takato feared that they had been stolen and had nearly despaired. He had shaken it off though when he remembered that his friend Guilmon, if what he thought about the new digi-egg represented on his D-Arc's screen was right, was more important than a pair of goggles. If he had to, he'd just buy a new pair but until then…

A beeping sound caught the boy's attention as he walked through the park. Taking out his digivice he saw that…

"Aw man," the boy whined. "I missed it, _again!_ "

Flipping through the screens on his digivice, Takato was once again able to call up the compass function that he had discovered before he had first met Guilmon. He was delighted that it was already pointing him in a direction. Hopefully the one that led him to Guilmon.

With hope once more kindled in his heart, Takato followed the direction that the arrow pointed towards.


	11. Once More Unto the Breach…

Within the darkened room of the Hypnos tracking system, the two female operators, Rielly and Tally, busily typed on their consoles, tracking a signal that made its way across the digital network.

"High level Wild type," said Riley coolly and simply, her voice detached from the vast number of times that she had had to track the movements of digimon until her responses were automatic and machine like. "Bio-emergence is now eminent."

"Primary tracer activated," said Tally in the same manner as her co-worker and immediate superior. "Shall I stop him?"

Yamaki looked up at the screen, watching the red colored signal as it moved across the screen, for some reason feeling a strange sense of déjà vu. Well, this was no doubt coming from the fact that he had witnessed digimon breaching the barriers between the worlds so often that they were bound to seem the same to him. Hardly any surprise. He looked at the readings. Something about this Wild One's data signature was familiar. Different, but familiar, and once more he was filled with that sense of familiarity.

"Do so," said Yamaki as he flicked his lighter closed. Tally complied and another signal began to close in on the data anomaly. He wondered if, should Tally be unable to put a halt to this digimon's progress as to whether or not he should resort to Yugoth or Juggernaut to stop it. Delete it entirely. Juggernaut would most likely be a bad idea, given his own experiences with that particular piece of technology but Yugoth was the more likely candidate, even if it didn't always work. But then, that was what the Tamers were for.

But still…

The data anomaly that Riley had identified as a high level Wild type wasn't anywhere near as strong as the one that had bio-emerged four days ago and destroyed Takato Matsuki's partner, Guilmon. It was well below the strength of the higher-level digimon that would occasionally break through and necessitate the Tamers merging with their own partners. Perhaps it didn't need to be destroyed.

Since the days of the Deva attacks, Yamaki had grown to realize that digimon were living creatures and shouldn't be regarded as anything but. He himself held no regrets over the digimon that he had destroyed since he had been in charge of Hypnos, but that didn't mean that he would continue with his previous methods of dealing with the digimon. Especially since he now knew that digimon were real, living creatures. He didn't want to destroy something unnecessarily if he had another choice.

_If this digimon isn't as dangerous as other Wild Ones, we might be able to capture it and return it to the digital world without there being any harm to either side._

There was another thought that crept into his mind about this Wild One. There was a distinct possibility that it might be a partner digimon for a new Tamer. Although Yamaki had long since gotten used to the idea, the fact that digimon and children still bonded at all still made the man wary, as he was not entirely comfortable with the idea, but willing to accept it anyway as it appeared to be inevitable. The question was what was he going to do about it if that was the case?

_One step at a time,_ thought Yamaki.

* * *

Rika Nonaka exited the gate of her school and turned down the sidewalk, beginning her journey home. She was still a little bit surprised that Mr. Ogawa had let her leave early (though she wasn't all that surprised that he had given her extra work to do in compensation), but she pushed that thought aside, deciding instead to focus on what she was going to do next. Going home and changing out of her uniform seemed to be the most logical choice for the next step before heading down to the Matsuki bakery to check up on Takato. Absently she wondered how Renamon was doing keeping an eye on him.

_Well, this is Gogglehead that we're talking about,_ thought Rika with a small smile, but then frowned at the thought. She was thinking more about how Takato _used_ to act before losing Guilmon. Now that the red dino was gone…

Rika sighed inwardly. She had been down that line of thought so many times she had practically carved a path in her brain. They all had.

_I just wish that Takato would smile again,_ thought Rika as she continued on her way, seemingly oblivious of the people that were around her while at the same time aware of their presence, avoiding them as she went. An image of Takato's smiling face came to her mind, and she saw the love for life that was in them. It was soon replaced by the memory of her dream from last night, and the look of loss and hopelessness that had been dominating him for days now. She knew that it was only natural for him to be that way, as she would if she were in his place and had lost Renamon, and the same for Henry if he lost Terriermon, and as it had been for Jeri when she lost Leomon. It was the risk that they all carried when they became Tamers, and how they reacted to the loss of their partner spoke of the depths of their bond and the strength that it carried. The time when their partners had been forced to return to the digital world, and the subsequent months of their absence that followed was an example of this, though they had carried the hope that they would at least see their partners again. Takato seemed to have a firm belief that they would. Though it was shaky at times, it remained strong and few could surpass it, with the notable exception being Ryo who, for some reason, had been the least surprised when their partners had returned. One would almost think that the Legendary Tamer had been expecting it. Why that was even Rika couldn't imagine, though she thought that it was part of that perfect attitude at times.

But somehow Rika doubted that was the case.

Rika began to close in on her neighborhood, her pace neither slowing nor speeding up in anticipation of arriving home; too much to think about, and not enough time to really dwell on everything. Once more she wondered how Renamon was getting on, and how Takato was doing. Yesterday when the group had met at Takato's house and they had talked with their friend it looked like Takato wasn't going to be in school today while the others were forced to. And now here she was, having been let go early to try and help him out. Under other circumstances, she would have considered it odd that she was going to be with him without any of the others. In all the times that she and Takato had hung out and been friends they had been with the rest of the group. They had never really had the opportunity to be around each other in any kind of setting without another Tamer. It had never even been suggested, or come up.

Well… with the exception of that one time on her birthday when Takato had asked her about…

The thought just sort of hung there for a moment as Rika began to approach the gate of her home, where it would die a slow, quiet death. This wasn't the time to be thinking about that sort of thing.

* * *

Renamon bounded off a building, not liking this one bit. She had so far been unable to find Takato, and now her worry for the Tamer that Rika had asked her to watch over was increasing. She had heard of how when humans become depressed, most especially from events that have left them with feelings of loss and abandonment, there comes a possibility where they might… resort to certain _methods_ to try and escape that pain. As the wind blew through her fur, Renamon hoped that wasn't the case with Takato. He may not have had the best of heads on his shoulders, but she had always felt that he wouldn't do such a thing that would hurt his friends in such a manner. He considered them far too important to do that.

  _"One can't say for sure how they will react when they lose a loved one…"_

The memory of her conversation with Rika that morning played through the kitsune's mind and she phased out of view as she continued her search. Perhaps she should check back at the Matsuki bakery and see what his parents knew before jumping to conclusions.

* * *

Riley typed furiously on her computer console, writing lines of code in the hopes that it would accomplish something.

 "He's going to breach! I can't stop it!" Riley said, her voice taking on an edgy note to it once it had become clear that she couldn't contain the Wild One. Yamaki frowned as he flicked the lighter open and closed. This was not good. The Tamers were still in school, and wouldn't be able to intercept the Wild One, allowing it time to escape and hide. It looked like it was going to be up to him and the rest of Hypnos now. Perhaps they've been too dependent on the Tamers for this sort of business.

"Where?"

Riley fed the data into the computer, projecting a digital image of Japan as the Hypnos scanners pinpointed the area where the digimon was emerging.

"Location, West Shinjuku!"

Yamaki studied the map. It looked like it was going to emerge at a construction site.

That feeling of déjà vu returned once again, and this time, it was stronger.

* * *

Rika walked through the paths of Shinjuku park, having changed into her usual attire in record time. Blue-sleeved t-shirt with a full heart on the front, jeans, belt, cardholder and digivice strapped to her waist. Takato's goggles poked out of the left pocket of her jeans, but was covered by the hand that rested in it. She stroked the plastic object almost affectionately, wondering what Takato would say when she returned his property to him. She was more curious about why Takato had left them in Guilmon's den. It didn't seem like him to abandon this particular piece of his Tamer's gear as he rarely went anywhere without it, even though it made him look more than just a little bit odd wearing them. When they first met, it had seemed that he was just another obsessive fan of the Digimon TV show who probably liked to compare himself to Tai or Davis, the rather _unimpressive_ leaders of the Digidestined (though they weren't that bad in her opinion). She was right after a fashion, but as time had gone on Takato had matured and, oddly enough, had grown into the goggles. He was still a goofy looking kid, but at least now they fit him and his character. He didn't need bravery so much as he did heart, and that he had aplenty.

 A blur of color, followed by a familiar presence caught Rika's attention, and soon the form of Renamon phased into view next to her. Raising an eyebrow, Rika wondered why her partner was here instead of with Takato. Seeing as how Renamon was mirroring Rika's expression (though to a far lesser extent), it was easy to see that she was also wondering what Rika was doing out of school at this time.

"School let out early?" Questioned the kitsune as she tilted her head to one side.

"For me only anyways," replied Rika. "Where's Takato? Is he around?"

Renamon's tail swished through the air, revealing the vulpine digimon's agitation. Rika didn't like what that entailed, but before either of them could continue with their conversation, Rika's digivice went off, signaling to her that a digimon was preparing to break through into the real world. Taking it out, the compass program activated and began pointing her in the direction where the digimon was going to arrive. Rika cursed under her breath for the digimon's timing. As the only Tamer not confined to school she would have to face it on her own. Normally this would suit her just fine, but given the circumstances and her own unanswered question as to Takato's location…

With a growl, Rika began to run following the compass on her digivice with Renamon following closely behind. As important as her friends were to her, her duties to Shinjuku and as a Tamer were her more immediate concern at present.

_I'm sorry Takato,_ thought Rika as she continued to race towards source of the signal on her digivice.

* * *

Takato had been following the signal on his digivice all the way to the familiar construction site where he had first met Guilmon. Had he not been so nervous this time around as to what he might find once he got there, he might have smiled at the irony of it all.

  _It's just like it was last time,_ Takato thought as he crawled through a small sewer like opening, this time taking care so as to not accidentally make any rodents angry by stepping on their tails or something. Once had been enough for him.

Finally, Takato crawled out from the opening, finding his way to the stairs and he began to climb downwards, as an energy pulse sent out waves along the construction site. It really hadn't changed much since he had last been here, the only notable exception being the patchwork where Guilmon had first vaporized a rat when he first arrived in the real world. Of course, with all the digimon attacks that had occurred since then, from the Devas to D-Reaper, all the way to the Parasimon invasion and Lucemon's attack, there had been a large amount of necessary rebuilding required so that might explain the lack of change around here.

Takato's gaze was fixated on the pulsing beacon of energy, preparing himself for whatever was going to emerge.

* * *

Renamon materialized at the top of the construction site with Rika in her arms, both of them taking note of the center in particular, as it seemed to be the sight where the digimon would most likely breach. Rika glanced around, looking for an easy spot for them to begin climbing down into the pit…

 And that was when her eyes lighted on Takato.

_Wha…? What's he doing here?_

Rika's questioning thoughts were interrupted by the sudden explosion at the center of the construction site, and a thick fog known as a digital field blanketed the area, obscuring Takato's form from her view.

* * *

_Nice entrance,_ thought Takato, remembering the line that he used when Guilmon had emerged into the real world. Once the wind had died down, Takato peered into the thickness of the fog, trying to see what lay within. There was definitely something there all right. And it looked vaguely Guilmon shaped. But the question was…

"Is it him?" Asked Takato aloud as he gripped onto the stairway's metal railing.

The fog began to part a little.


	12. To Fight or Not to Fight Revisited

The fog parted, revealing the form of the newly arrived digimon for all to see. Takato stared at it with wide eyes, taking in the form of the digimon while at the same time trying to understand how this could be.

_That's…_ Takato's thoughts felt sluggish in their attempts to comprehend what he was seeing. _That's… that's not Guilmon… is it?_

The creature that sat on the ground in much the same way as his partner had when he was born, sniffing the air and scratching his claws looked like Guilmon. The shape was right, so was the eye color, and it had a hazard sign emblazoned on. But the color of the reptile's scales and stripes were the reverse of what Guilmon's was, Black where red had been, and vice versa, with the black being the dominant color. The golden eyes that looked so much like that of his friends held a cold, ferocious look in them that chilled Takato's spine. Takato gulped as he gathered his nerve, hoping that he had not made some kind of huge mistake last night, though now he was starting to wish that he hadn't done this. Guilmon coming back wrong wouldn't have made things better at all. It would have been better to let things be, as they probably should have been then to do this to his friend. That is, if this was the same Guilmon.

_Well, Guilmon was pretty scary sometimes, especially when a digimon was bio-emerging or whenever he digivolved. How bad can he be this time?_

Looking into the creature's eyes made Takato's heart pause for a moment.

* * *

Renamon picked up Rika and phased down to the top of the staircase to get a closer look at what was going on. As soon as Rika's feet touched the ground she began to run towards where Takato was standing, her shoes clanging loudly on the metal grating, but so far Takato hadn't made any indication that he had heard or even noticed that she and Renamon were there. Not totally surprising since he could be so thick headed at times, and he was also staring at a dark colored reincarnation of his partner.

Renamon hopped down from the stairs to be on the same ground level as the re-colored version of her comrade, and looked him over carefully, trying to keep her fur from standing on end. There was something about this _BlackGuilmon_ that sat wrong with her. Worse than most of the enemies that she had fought in the past, though whether this was some inherent trait not yet seen or because it so greatly resembled her now dead friend she couldn't tell. All she knew was that she had a _very_ bad feeling about it. Renamon began to approach the creature cautiously, not wanting to startle it. Takato was practically right next to it and her partner, Rika, was closing in on the pair. Should the creature be violent, it might strike out at them at the slightest provocation, and Renamon wouldn't suffer the loss of any more friends.

* * *

Takato let go of the railing and descended down the last stair, his crimson eyes fixated on the dark colored version of Guilmon. He hoped that this was Guilmon, but if it wasn't he hoped that it was friendly…

"G-Guilmon?" Takato asked, his voice quavering a little as he reached out with a trembling hand.

_Oh please, oh please, oh please…_

The new Guilmon turned to look at him, it's face contorted in what looked like a snarl, and once more Takato felt a shiver make its way down his back. They looked… so _cold_. Unforgiving… So…

_"Takato!"_

_Rika?_

Turning, Takato saw his red haired friend as she raced down the stairs towards him. What was she doing here? Wasn't she supposed to be at school right now? How long had she been there? A thousand thoughts went through Takato's mind, most of them a mess of confusion, but as Takato craned his head to face Rika as she came towards him, he failed to notice that the Guilmon's eyes had dilated and a crimson glow began to emanate from the back of his throat.

However, Renamon did.

_"Diamond Storm!"_

Glowing, crystal shards fell on the Guilmon, impacting with his skin but not doing anything to harm him. Startled by the unexpected attack the Guilmon's attack was knocked off course. A crimson fireball flew from his mouth, barely missing Takato as it impacted the wall behind him.

_Wha…? Did he…? Why is Renamon…? What's going on here?!_

* * *

Renamon closed the distance between herself and the Guilmon, throwing herself at the dark virus, wrestling him to the ground in an attempt to pin him to the ground. As far as she was concerned, Renamon didn't truly want to harm this digimon, as it was possible that it was confused and disoriented by the transition between worlds, and at the same time there was a chance that Takato _might_ have succeeded with bringing back Guilmon though Renamon didn't hold out much hope for that possibility. It was the sort of thing that Rika might consider, and as such Renamon would do what she could to immobilize the Rookie and not delete it unless it was absolutely necessary to do so. Clamping her paws around the Guilmon's mouth to discourage it from using a close range Pyro Sphere (or what ever variation of the attack this subspecies used) Renamon looked into the Guilmon's eyes, searching for any sign of either her friend or rationality. As she stared into the golden irises, the pupils dilated as the Guilmon's baser instincts took over, Renamon was hit by a feeling of familiarity. This was starting to feel too much like their first meeting for her to be comfortable.

Whipping his head around, _Guilmon_ tried to dislodge his jaw from Renamon's grasp.

* * *

Takato shook his head, trying to get a grip on himself as he took in the battle that raged in front of him. He couldn't seem to believe what he was seeing. Guilmon, or rather a darker version of him, was fighting Renamon, one of his friends. He had even taken a shot at him! But mostly, it was the fight between Renamon and _Guilmon_ that held him standing where he was as shock gripped his mind. He tried to find the strength to overcome it and call out to them, make them stop their fighting, but as _Guilmon_ continued to thrash around under Renamon's grip, his eyes met Takato's, and whatever words he was about to say fled from Takato's grasp. A low growl emanated from _Guilmon's_ throat once more and he once more resumed his struggles with the Vulpine digimon.

* * *

"Hold… _still_!" Growled Reamon in frustration as she tried to hold the black reptile down, but the dark colored Guilmon refused to obey. With one last burst of energy, the shadowy reptile broke his head out of Renamon's grip and then bit down hard on her gloved paw, pulling on it with fierce strength. Renamon gritted her teeth against the pain and now struggled to free her paw, which proved only to be a mistake, as it gave the Guilmon the opportunity he needed to throw his weight to the side and attempt to pin Renamon. Renamon, through her long years of experience with hand-to-hand fighting was able to use the momentum to return to their initial positions, except with her gloved paw still trapped in her opponent's jaws.

* * *

Rika ran up to Takato, her eyes searching his face for any clues as to his emotional state before glancing over at Renamon to see how she was fairing. Not exactly well seeing as how this darker version of Guilmon was, by the looks of things, in the process of mauling her arm. Looking back at Takato revealed that he was in a state of shock. Grabbing him by the shoulder, Rika tried to get his attention.

"Takato! Snap out of it! Why're you just…?"

Rika's voice trailed off as she saw the look of near panic in his eyes. In that moment, she knew that she would have a hard time trying to get any help out of him. Turning to the battle with a slight sense of irony at the situation, Rika got out her D-Arc and looked through her deck box for a right card to use. What she was looking for was one that could incapacitate the Guilmon without destroying it. However, there was a problem with that.

_No,_ thought Rika as she rifled through her cards. _That one's too powerful; that's too dangerous; that ones too deadly… Rrrrgh… I didn't think that I'd_ have _to just restrain a digimon before. Okay, let's try this one._

Electricity sparked as Rika dragged a card through the slot of her digivice.

" _Digi-modify! Strength activate!"_

As the card left the slot, Renamon, with a new surge of energy coursing through her body, tore her arm from the Guilmon's mouth and pulled back to deliver a punch. Behind her, Rika could hear Takato making choking sounds, as if he was trying to say something, anything that could put a halt to this whole thing, but was unable to do so since he knew that it was necessary, no matter how much it pained him to stand by and watch this. For once, Rika found herself torn between either trying to give comfort to her friend or keeping her eye on the battle and back up Renamon.

Suddenly, as Renamon began to bring her fist down, _BlackGuilmon's_ mouth glowed crimson.

_"Pyro Grenade!"_

The blast rocketed at Renamon, impacting with her with explosive force, throwing the Rookie kitsune off of him with a cry, eliciting a cry from Rika. The vulpine digimon fell to the ground with a groan, rolling with the blow and getting shakily into a defensive crouch. Renamon found herself thankful that her opponent hadn't had enough time to hit her with his full strength. As powerful as she was, she didn't think that she could withstand that attack at such a close range if it had been otherwise. Her bright blue eyes fell on _BlackGuilmon_ just as he was getting to his feet, crouched low like her, eyes dilated and growling in his throat menacingly. Within moments his mouth was glowing once more.

_"Guilmon! Stop it!"_

Rika and Renamon both started at the sound of Takato's voice as it echoed on the air. Takato had finally found the strength to break through his shock and try to put a stop to things, despite the fact that he had no way of doing so on his own. Not when it came to two digimon who were locked in battle anyway, or so it seemed. His voice had the surprising affect of catching BlackGuilmon's attention, his pupils returning to their original size as they turned to face the young boy. There was a look in Takato's eyes that said that, though he was afraid of what might happen to the black colored Guilmon and Renamon should they continue fighting, he was determined to end it by whatever means necessary. Takato took one step forward, but this motion only made Rika place herself in front of him.

"Takato! What are you doing? You can't just go in there without…!"

Takato's reclaimed courage began to falter as the girl reminded him that he no longer had _his_ Guilmon by his side to back him up. Still, he wasn't going to let things lie just like that.

"But… Rika…"

Before Takato could even say anything else, _BlackGuilmon_ took one look at the sky, his ears twitching slightly as he sniffed the air, and then snarled before racing towards the two children, knocking them both down as he raced up the stairs. Renamon leapt up to follow, but didn't quite stay on her feet once she landed on the stairs behind the dark reptile, still injured from the digimon's point-blank attack.

_"Guilmon!_ " Takato shouted once more as he surged to his feet, his voice breaking in desperation but it was too late. The dark version of Guilmon was enveloped into the shadows and disappeared. Takato stayed where he was for a moment before collapsing to his knees, tears brimming in his eyes as he struggled to absorb everything that had happened to him both today and indeed, this entire week. He had lost his best friend once, and now with this happening it was like losing him all over again. He didn't notice when Rika got up and walked over to him, casting a glance at Renamon to make sure that she was all right before placing a hand on the boys shoulder, lowering herself down to his level and studying him carefully before pulling him into a hug. It was only then that he noticed her presence before breaking into a sob, wrapping his arms around his friend and holding her to him as though she were a lifeline.

It was at that moment that the heavens, now darkened greatly by the storm clouds that had been gathering for most of the day now, opened up and let loose a downpour on Shinjuku, thunder rumbling above them.

* * *

Renamon phased next to the two children as rain fell down on her, soaking her fur. Her eyes did a quick sweep around for any signs of the _BlackGuilmon_. So far there were none, but that didn't mean that he was still out there, watching, waiting. Still, at this moment, their primary concern, now that they had apparently lost their quarry, was to get out of the rain and contact the rest of the Tamers. Or perhaps Hypnos since the others were still at school. Well, they'd figure something out once they found some shelter…

The sound of a helicopter's rotary blades came to her ears. Looking up, Renamon scanned the skies, and found a vehicle approaching them.

"Rika…" began Renamon, but suddenly a bright light bloomed on them, forcing Renamon and the two Tamers to cover their eyes from its intensity. A voice, amplified by a speaker, spoke to them.

"EVERYONE STAY RIGHT WHERE YOU ARE! WE HAVE YOU IN OUR SIGHTS!"

* * *

Lucemon lay in what was now deemed to be _his_ bed (for however long it was going to take for him to finish healing), sleeping. There was little else to do while he was recuperating. The children who visited him from time to time weren't in the house, and the woman, despite her reservations about leaving the child angel alone in the house but driven by necessity to buy what she had called _groceries_ , wasn't there either. So now he lay there, trying to relax, to heal. Reaching out with his mind as he did so, trying to find his center of being so that he could lose all sense of the injuries that continued to pain him…

The Hazard symbol on his left hand suddenly began to glow, and Lucemon's face contorted as though it discomforted him in some way. Eyes snapping open, Lucemon sat up, feeling the sensation of power and danger that left him feeling drained and insignificant. It felt a lot like what had happened in the digital world almost a year ago…

The power of the Great Dragon of chaos and destruction had awakened once again.


	13. Digimon, Digimon…

_Rika held onto Takato's shuddering form, rubbing his back gently as she tried to soothe him. At another time she would have sarcastically told him to stop getting her shirt wet with his crying, but this was far beyond the time for that sort of thing. Takato was her friend, and to act like that towards a friend would be cruel. Not that it mattered that her sleeve was getting damp from Takato's tears, because after a couple seconds, the storm clouds that had been threatening rain for most of the day now finally made good on their promise and let loose on them, drenching the two Tamers in a torrent of water. Rika continued to hold Takato though, and he held her back as he tried to get a hold of himself. She could feel his heart beating against her, its sound oddly calming to her. After a few seconds, Takato hitched a breath and began to pull away. Rika looked into his crimson eyes as Takato took a quick calming breath, and she saw that he was trying to reclaim what courage he had remaining after his recent series of ordeals. To be strong…_

_'Like he has anything that he has to prove,' thought Rika, thinking back over all the times that he had proven himself up to the challenge of being a Tamer, despite her initial beliefs to the contrary._

_"S-Sorry for t-the w-w-water works Rika," Takato choked out as more tears spilled out of his eyes. The sound of helicopter blades reached Rika's ears but she didn't focus on them, too intent on the emotional state of her friend. On instinct, Rika raised a hand to Takato's face and carefully wiped away some of his tears with her thumb, causing the boy to blink, startled at the action._

_"Wha…?"_

_Rika frowned mentally. What? Couldn't a friend show some compassion for once? Well, it wasn't like she showered that particular emotion on the world, but she did when the situation was appropriate, just as it was right now. She was just about to suggest that they get out of here, find some shelter and get a hold of Hypnos, or at least the other Tamers. She didn't exactly trust Yamaki to handle this situation, but then, she didn't exactly trust adults with matters that concerned the Tamers. They always thought that they knew best._

_Renamon teleported next to them, water dripping down from her body as her fur was drenched by the relentless downpour._

_"Rika…" the vulpine began, but whatever she was about to say was interrupted by the increasing sound of the helicopter blades, as the noise got closer. It was awfully loud in fact. And it sounded like there was more than one…_

_A bright light suddenly shone on the two Tamers and one digimon, as a helicopter began to fly towards them, a voice booming on a loudspeaker as it made its approach._

_"EVERYONE STAY RIGHT WHERE YOU ARE! WE HAVE YOU IN OUR SIGHTS!"_

* * *

_Well,_ thought Rika as the memory ended and she, Renamon, and Takato got off the helicopter and down onto the solid ground of the landing pad. _At least we won't have to worry about getting in touch with Yamaki._

Thunder roared in the sky above them, but at least now the rain had tapered off a bit, the storm having wasted most of its energy in the initial downpour. Agents walked alongside the two Tamers and swiped an entry card through a card reader, allowing them access into Hypnos as they were escorted to meet the agencies head. Looking over at Takato, Rika saw that his eyes held a worried look about them, despite the grim, determined expression that he was trying to keep up. No doubt he was he was wondering just what to say to Yamaki, and what his own reaction will be when he found out what had happened. Reaching out, Rika grasped his hand and gave it a squeeze, trying to comfort him. Almost against his will, Takato looked at Rika in surprise and blushed deeply before averting his gaze. Rika frowned, for once wishing that she were better at helping people. But each person had their own kinds of gifts, and Rika's lay more in the area of Taming and battle. Something like this fell more in the area of Jeri's field of expertise, but since Jeri wasn't around right now, she would just have to make due.

Rika rubbed Takato's hand unconsciously as she immersed herself in her thoughts.

* * *

Takato had managed to get control of the heat that was burning his face, and scolded himself for acting this way just because Rika was just trying to help him out. Granted, it wasn't something that he really expected out of the red haired girl, though she had surprised him before with the amount of care and worry that she had shown Jeri after she had lost Leomon. It was just… Takato sighed mentally. He really shouldn't be thinking about this kind of stuff right now. Not with everything that was going on. He was glad that Rika was there to help him out, even gladder that she and Renamon were there to save him and keep him from getting vaporized by his own _creation_.

Takato's face fell at the thought of the different colored Guilmon that he had brought into existence. He had hoped, almost believed that it would be the same Guilmon that he had first created, but of course that was just a fool's belief. Deep down Takato guessed that he had already known that, but so blinded by his own pain he didn't want to see it. He should have listened more closely to that part of him that told him what he was doing was wrong. Too late to turn back the clock now though, all he could do was try to clean up the mess that he had made. With or without anyone's help…

Takato almost jerked out of his thoughts as he felt Rika give his hand another comforting squeeze. Looking over at Rika, he saw his friend smile softly at him.

"Everything's going to be okay, Takato," said Rika, though it sounded more like she was trying to convince herself of that than him. Still, she _was_ making an effort to help him, even if he wasn't used to it coming in this form.

Takato swallowed and looked away as a thousand feelings roiled through his mind in much the same way that the storm continued to pelt the city with its thunder and rain. Through all his worries and confusion over the Guilmon, Takato knew one thing. He was glad that he could count on his friends to help him get through it.

* * *

Yamaki frowned as he hung up his cell phone, word having just reached him that the Tamer Rika Nonaka with Renamon and the now former Tamer, Takato Matsuki, had now arrived at Hypnos and were being escorted to a waiting area where he would eventually meet them and discuss what sort of digimon had bio-emerged and whether or not it had been taken care of. He was wondering what the two of them had been doing out of school. Takato was easier to think of a reason why for, since he was still having to cope with the loss of his partner, Guilmon. A loss that Yamaki was also still regretting, and not just because the viral reptile had made himself such a valuable asset to the Hypnos program. He had come to care for the well-being of the Tamers and their partners during the time that they had been working together in much the same way that a watchful guardian or military commander would care about anyone that's under their charge, though he had to keep himself somewhat distant because of their relationship as an unofficial, but joint cooperative and mutually beneficial alliance that pooled their resources together in order to cope with the digimon that threatened to enter the real world and cause havoc. Losses were expected, and Yamaki felt the pain of those losses along side the others that he worked with, and he felt them deeply. But he pressed on, because, like it or not, he could not afford to become bogged down by sorrow. There was too much depending on him, Hypnos, the Tamers, and the Monster Makers, for him to hesitate.

_But what were they doing there?_ Wondered Yamaki once more. _Rika's school doesn't let out for a couple more hours, same with Takato's. More importantly, what was Takato doing there? I suppose that it's possible that he was given time off, and with the others supposedly in school still when the digimon bio-emerged he may have felt that he was the only one who could do something._

Yamaki rubbed his temples as though they pained him in some way and flicked his lighter closed before sighing.

_Enough of this,_ thought Yamaki. _I won't be getting any answers just by standing here all day. Might as well get to the bottom of this._

* * *

Noriko Nakata chewed on her fried rice for a moment before looking over at the half-Chinese boy that sat nearby, her face thoughtful. The boy, Henry Wong if she recalled his name correctly, had been acting odd these past few days. Not that he would ever comment about it to anyone in his class, no, no. Henry had few friends and all of them were in another room. At least, as far as she knew they were. She had never seen him socializing with anyone in his class, but then she had never really paid much attention to him anyway. He tended to be rather removed from the social world, not that he was shy or quiet of course (he never betrayed so much as a hint of nervousness whenever he was called on in class), it was more that he probably didn't see that sort of thing as being the dominant factor in his life. She had of course heard some of the scant rumors about him, about him being a _Tamer_ , a human who was bonded or something to that effect to those strange Internet creatures known as digimon. She had even glimpsed him on the TV screens back during the D-Reaper crisis (something that she had witnessed a little of first hand to add credibility to everything else she had heard) and while she was curious she never bothered Henry about it. He had had enough of that from a fair number of students after D-Reaper had been defeated, and he had not liked the attention that was heaped on him all that well. Noriko was one of the few who respected a person's desire to live their life without having it dissected and put on display for the entire world to see. But now, the way that Henry had been acting, it was enough to draw her attention. Henry had been very distracted of late. His mind being somewhere other than what the class lesson was on, and most importantly…

He had broken his pencil.

Okay, maybe that was a strange thing to focus on and use as an example to what his emotional state was like, but from all the time that she had been in the same class with Henry she had found him to be a very controlled person. She believed that he normally held his emotions in check a lot, though why this was she didn't know for sure. Perhaps it was because of his duties as a Tamer that constantly put a strain on him, and he didn't want to show that he was upset or anything of the sort. Regardless as to whether or not this was the case Noriko knew from experience that holding in your emotions had a way of making things worse, and if Henry didn't have someone that he could talk to about this sort of thing, especially without any immediacy, then he might slip into something that might be too big for him to handle on his own.

Looking down at her food tray, Noriko made a decision. Getting up, Noriko picked up her tray and wandered on over to where Henry sat, standing there for a couple seconds as if debating as to whether or not she should follow through on her choice. That pause in her stride was enough for Henry to take notice and he looked up at the girl, and the action forced Noriko's mind to hasten in its decision making process.

"Mind if I sit with you?" Noriko asked tentatively. Henry raised an eyebrow, a little confused at the request, but nodded his assent. Noriko sat in the chair directly across from him and picked up her chopsticks, digging around her food while she thought of a way to open up a conversation with him. How to best go about it…

"Um…" Noriko began cautiously, wanting to test the waters. "…I know that this may sound… _weird_ , but I couldn't help but notice that you've been acting kind of down lately…" Noriko bit her lip, not sure if this was a good idea after all, but knowing that it was too late to change course. She thought that perhaps she should have tried a more subtle approach, but as she had already noted, it was too late to change course. "…And I was… wondering if you wanted to talk about it."

Henry's eyes widened at Noriko, taken off guard by her request. From the look on his face, Noriko could tell that he hadn't been expecting this.

_Great. Now he probably thinks I'm a weirdo or something._

Noriko pushed the thought to the side, and charged onwards, hoping to express the reasons behind her wanting to know what was going on with Henry and wanting to help him before he thought about turning her down and making her feel like a complete idiot.

"It's just that I've noticed that you don't have anyone to talk to for most of the day, and that all your other friends happen to be in another room so… _ahem_ … I… uh… was just thinking that when you aren't able to talk to them or anything that… um… I… er… I could be there if you ever need someone to talk to."

Noriko decided that now was as good a time as any to stop talking now. She tended not to be very good at this sort of thing, talking to people that she wasn't used to that is. And while she had worked with Henry before on previous class assignments she couldn't say that their conversations, though polite, were anything beyond just two people working together on a project. Well, here was where things might change. It all depended on what Henry thought about her proposal and what he said next.

* * *

Henry looked at Noriko (if that was her name. He couldn't remember quite clearly for some reason) and thought about what she had said, before taking a deep look inside himself to see what he felt about this. Not something that he had expected except from one of the other Tamers that he hung out with or from Terriermon. But then, he and the others had become friends more out of necessity and the bond that they shared with their digimon partners, and Terriermon… well, they were simply chosen to be together, though it was mostly the Digignomes and Henry's own wish to take care of the little dog-bunny after his brutal battle in his Digimon game that had brought them together. That kind of friendship was special, but as Noriko had pointed out Terriermon and the others couldn't always be there when he had something on his mind, particularly in his own class. And… he did need some help in coming to terms with what had happened to Takato and Guilmon. Maybe, just maybe a fresh pair of eyes could help him think of a way to deal with it. So far everything else didn't seem to be helping all that much.

Henry closed his eyes and made a decision of his own.

* * *

Lucemon tested his wings, feeling some pain still, but that had dropped back to a corner of his mind where it became insignificant. Thoughts of the family that had taken care of him during his time here in this oh-so-limiting world didn't enter his mind. There was something much more important that he had to deal with, and how this group of humans would react was inconsequential to what he had to do. The safety of the digital world and this world depended on it. He _had_ to make sure that that danger was safely eliminated before it could grow to be a serious threat. How it had returned he didn't know for sure, but he would end it and make sure that it stayed that way once and for all, and not even this storm would stop him. Nothing would stop him. He'd make sure of that.

Regardless of the consequences.

Spreading his wings, Lucemon took flight into the air. It was at that moment that Aiko Nakata arrived home, carrying a couple bags of groceries. After setting them down on the kitchen table she made her way down to Lucemon's room to check up on the angel, only to find that it was empty.

A window was open, and rushing to it, Aiko looked outside, and saw what looked like the form of a small, angelic boy flying in the cloud filled sky. Aiko smiled, as though at a bird that had taken flight towards freedom.

"Go in peace, digimon…" Aiko whispered.

* * *

BlackGuilmon entered the area of Shinjuku Park, testing the air with his nostrils as his golden eyes searched the area for any signs of danger. Hunger beat at his stomach, but he ignored it for now. At this moment, his only thoughts were of finding shelter to get out of the storm that continued to shower him with rain. That and of the human children and Renamon that he had encountered upon his emergence into the real world. Especially the boy. There was something about him that drew him… that made him feel almost… _complete_. That made him want to feel complete, if only he knew how to accomplish that.

BlackGuilmon shook his head fiercely, his viral instincts shouting at him to ignore that strange sensation that he was getting. To destroy the cause of that feeling. But not yet… not yet…

Shelter first. Food second. Everything else would follow shortly.

Putting his nose to the ground, BlackGuilmon began to trace his way up a set of stairs leading uphill, further into the tangled jungle that was Shinjuku Park.


	14. Check Mate!

Lucemon flew over the city of Shinjuku, trying to catch some sign of his elusive prey, but not finding any success in the matter. From what he had sensed, he had half expected to see the great beast, fully evolved and wrecking havoc throughout the city. However, he did not find that to be the case, and he felt rage burning in his mind because of this. The pain from his exertions from four days ago, combined with the current weather patterns, was making it difficult for him to adequately locate any digimon in the area, and with the Tamer's digimon in the area things only became more complicated. Particularly with the Guardromon, the only other Virus digimon that was partnered with a Tamer. Lucemon supposed that he could remove the obstacle and progress with his search with less difficulty, but he refused to destroy a creature unnecessarily. Guardromon were mostly harmless, bound to do good or evil but far from likely to destroy the digital world the way Megidramon had come so close to doing. If events progressed to the point where it would become necessary, then Lucemon would do just that. Of course, if things went far enough for that to happen it was likely that he would have no problem tracking Megidramon or his lower evolved forms regardless of Guardromon's presence in the real world.

Frowning, the child-like angel ignored the pain that still throbbed within his body, and continued with his sweep over the city, trying to find some spoor of the Great Dragon. No matter what happened, or what creature tried to impede him, he would find it and destroy it. The fate of the digital world depended upon his actions.

* * *

Cyberdramon growled threateningly at the rain that continued to pelt his armored form, but he restrained himself from taking out his frustrations on the helpless tree that he stood next to, waiting from a safe distance for his Tamer to get out of school and join him, so that together they could train, find a wild digimon and battle it. There were times when this world of humans strained Cyberdramon's patience. Too much order, too many things that the world refused to allow him to do, and not enough enemies that were powerful enough to give him the satisfaction of a good battle. Fighting was in his blood after all, and he hungered for it the way people hungered for food. However, this was Ryo's world now, not the chaotic digital world that he had lived in for years before the two of them met. Before D-Reaper, before the Tamers, before Milleniummon…

Cyberdramon growled once more as two humans, both female neared his hiding place. Both turned in the direction of his growl, but the great digimon, surrounded by clusters of bushes and the one large tree, was well hidden. Either that or the two females just didn't want to stick around long enough to find out what had made the noise that they had heard. Which was fair enough. Cyberdramon wasn't the type that enjoyed company unless it was powerful and/or gave him a battle. As those two humans were neither, he ignored them. He had to, for Ryo's sake. Besides the fact that the human authorities likely wouldn't stand for a digimon frightening any innocent bystanders (never mind that there was already enough strain building up from the regular invasions from the digital world), there was also his father to consider. _Mr._ Akiyama had not taken very well to Ryo's disappearance into the digital world, nor did he like the idea of Ryo being a Tamer or the constant media attention that Ryo garnered whenever he went somewhere. And he wasn't at all trusting of the Ultimate level digimon that had a nasty habit of being aggressive towards just about everything that breathed (despite Ryo's assurances that Cyberdramon was really just _a puppy on the inside… once you get to know him_ ). Mr. Akiyama had allowed Cyberdramon (as Monodromon) to live with them on the fact that there was very little he could do about what it was that had bonded the digimon to Ryo in the first place. It had simply become a matter of reluctantly accepting Ryo's position as a Tamer, and that due to his unparalleled skills and inner power, he was likely to be called upon again and again by the digital world, necessitating his long absences from home and school. Despite the number of times that Ryo had gone through that with the digital world in the past, his father had yet to fully accept his son's destiny. Not that anyone could blame him. His family life had not exactly turned out the way he had initially thought that it would.

There were times however that Cyberdramon wished that none of these obstacles that were in the human world existed, or that he were still in the digital world. At least in the digital world he could go wherever he pleased and destroy anyone or anything that said otherwise. Things were not so simple here.

Cyberdramon felt impatience rise in his heart and he immediately squashed it. He had to remind himself that Ryo would be out of school soon, and that it did not do to allow himself to be controlled by his fighter instincts, or the Siren call of battle that constantly allured him. He hadn't become Ryo's partner just so that he could give into his instincts. There was more than one way to be strong after all…

Cyberdramon looked up into the sky as he sensed something approaching, something _strong_ , but strangely familiar. And it was trying to get into the real world. Scanning the dark clouds that hung overhead, Cyberdramon debated waiting for his Tamer but decided against it. Ryo and the others were still in school, and if he was able to track down whatever it was that was about to bio-emerge he could successfully eliminate it before it became a problem. Unless that is Ryo wanted it alive…

Snarling, Cyberdramon decided that he would try to do what Ryo would expect of him if he were there, but if the digimon proved to be too strong and dangerous to _play nice with_ , so to speak, then he would eliminate it, no questions asked. His growl deepening, Cyberdramon leapt into the air, his tattered wings spread wide as they caught air. As Cyberdramon flew higher, heading towards the source of the bio-emergence, he found that his only regret was that Takato's partner, Guilmon, would not be there to join him in battle.

* * *

Ryo Akiyama sat at his desk, only peripherally paying attention to what his teacher was talking about. Like his other friends and comrades in the field he was thinking about Takato, about the loss of his partner, but also about other things concerning the reactions of the others. It was something of a habit of his, born from an almost constantly strategizing mind that had been trained into him and refined to a razor's edge, allowing him to consider multiple viewpoints and responses to a given situation and try to find a solution for it, just as it was now. He had been shocked to say the least when he had found out about what had happened to Guilmon, and he worried greatly over Takato's reaction to the loss of his friend. During the occasions that he had managed to steal enough time to see his friend and now former Tamer, Takato had been a wreck, but was struggling to cope with it. Rather admirable from Ryo's point of view, as it showed that Takato had a desire to try and move on, but Ryo knew that the going wouldn't be easy for him, and that not everyone was able to get past the loss of someone that had been as close as Guilmon was to Takato. They would all be there to help him through it of course; Henry, Rika, Jeri, Kazu, Kenta… he would also be there too, despite the difficulty that he had with the distance between their respective districts and his own worry about Cyberdramon's aggressiveness. His own honor, and his friendship with Takato, demanded that he do no less. Despite the obvious differences between them, he had taken a liking to the goggle wearing kid. He had known others that were like him in the past, but he was different from them in a lot of ways. Not as confident or sure of himself, but when he was, when he had the moment where all doubts were cast to the wind, he could match, even rival the strength of heart that Ryo had seen from some old friends of his, which was a difficult thing to accomplish. That kind of heart made him more sensitive to the concerns of others, and this trait was only heightened by the vast amount of empathy that Takato had for his friends and others. While he didn't know exactly how much more Takato was feeling because of this, he had a pretty good idea as to the intensity of it. That, coupled with the amount of time that he had spent as a Tamer, might cause him to undervalue his importance to _the team_ (as he had heard the boy himself put it so often, once more reminding him of other people, and another time). Takato was a pretty sensitive kid, made more so by the loss of his partner, and if he couldn't feel useful to his friends, then there was also a chance that he would try to avoid them, something that, unless Ryo missed his guess, would not go over well. Not with any of them, especially those whom he had fought alongside with the longest, Henry and Rika.

From what Ryo had already observed, Henry and Takato regarded each other as being about as close to brothers without being related, making up for each other's weak points and shoring up with their strong ones, balancing each other out. The same was true with Rika as well…

Ryo frowned. Of all the other Tamers, Rika had been the one who had reacted the most to the loss of Guilmon. Well, with the exception of Jeri maybe since she was fairly _close_ to Takato already, but Rika had been the only one to react out of pure rage, directing it at the cause of that anger no less in a way that had surprised him. Well, only to a certain extent. In the time that he had known Rika on a more friendly and regular basis other than Digimon tournaments, the red haired girl had shown a streak for thinking and acting in a way that made others edgy around her. Despite this, she also showed great depths of compassion for others. Though this latter trait didn't show itself as often as the former, it was there and Rika was willing to admit that it existed, but only so far, as she also had the habit of retreating into sarcasm or irritation on those times that she didn't want to admit it. Even so, she had gone and rescued Impmon, and brought him back to the real world despite what he had done, even at the risk of missing the Arc and losing her way home. Her reaction to Takato's loss was justified, but in highlight to what had happened in the battle with Lucemon… it showed how much she had changed since the day that he met her in the digital world. How much closer she had grown to her friends.

_Probably closer than she realizes,_ thought Ryo as a small smile spread its way across his face.

Yes, it was fortunate that Takato had such good friends ready to support him.

Ryo was interrupted from his musings by the beeping sound of his digivice, catching the attention of his classmates, and that of his teacher as well. His teacher was just turning with a raised eyebrow, but he didn't get a chance to ask a question or make a comment. Ryo was already on his feet and heading for the door, flashing him a confident, apologetic, and disarming smile, waving his cell phone in the air.

"Parents," said Ryo, as though it were all the excuse that he needed, never mind the fact that he wasn't supposed to have his cell phone on in class, even though it wasn't actually the case. Nonetheless, the teacher bought Ryo's excuse with a nod, and the Legendary Tamer was out the door and heading down the hallway, already looking through his partner's eyes with his digivice. Mr. Arai always did like him.

* * *

_Okay,_ thought Ryo as he got a look at Cyberdramon's progress through the halo circle being displayed above his digivice. _Let's see…looks like he's just flying right now. But there's definitely a digimon emerging into the real world right now, and Cyberdramon senses it. Wonder what kind it will be this time. hopefully a lot friendlier than the last one._

Ryo debated as to whether or not he should try to join his partner. It wouldn't be the first time he had skipped school to do so, and since it was well known that he was a Tamer (his life being as public as it was, he had been easily recognizable when he appeared on the TV screens worldwide) it wouldn't surprise anyone that he had made yet another _disappearance_. Not his fault that he led such an active lifestyle…

_Hold on,_ thought Ryo as Cyberdramon's vision swiveled around, indicating that something was up. _What's he doing?_

Ryo got his answer a second later, and then he was racing towards the school exit.

* * *

Cyberdramon was closing in on his destination when he felt something tug at his senses. Something else was approaching the site of the new digital field. Something strong. Something… _familiar_. The last time he had sensed something like this had been on the day when Takato's partner, Guilmon had died. Turning his head in the direction of what he felt approaching, a new growl, this one much more vicious came out of his throat. Now he knew the reason why he felt a sensation of recognition at the digimon that was approaching the area.

He had fought it when Guilmon had been destroyed.

Twelve wings emerging from the body of a blonde haired boy seemingly no older than the Tamers; golden bracelets and anklets were attached to his arms and legs, and one hand was emblazoned with the sign of the Digital Hazard. A being and symbol that marked it for what it was and tell of its power, and let the whole world know it and tremble at its sight.

_Lucemon,_ Cyberdramon snarled.

Raw emotion blanketed Cyberdramon's mind. Though he had not developed any feeling of camaraderie towards the crimson dinosaur as Ryo had with him and the Tamers, Guilmon was one of the few beings that whose death Cyberdramon regretted, if only because such a strong warrior (despite his childish nature) was not one who was meant to die in such a way, least of all at the hands of an angel. But then, he had heard that Lucemon tend to be a bit twitchy when it came to their desire to preserve order in the digital world. The cyborg dragon didn't understand the Lucemon's reasons for deleting Guilmon, as he and Ryo had not been there when the battle had started, and Takato had not been very forthcoming with any information regarding it (though Ryo had shared some doubts of his own with him about the nature and reason of the attack), but one thing that Cyberdramon knew was that Lucemon was an enemy of the Tamers, and was also an enemy of Ryo as well.

As much as he would otherwise not like it, were he de-digivolved and in his Monodromon form, Cyberdramon was going to take great pleasure in dispensing with his soon to be angelic foe.

His growling deepening, Cyberdramon changed his course, completely forgetting about the digital field that had been his original purpose and brought his clawed hands together, the talons glowing as he prepared to launch his attack at Lucemon.


	15. The External Battle

"But Ms. Asagi… you've _gotta_ let us go!"

Ms. Nami Asagi, teacher at Shinjuku Elementary and the one who wound up having four digimon Tamers in her class in the course of one year, closed her head and sighed, already feeling the beginnings of a headache. Just mere moments ago the childrens… _digivices,_ if she recalls the name of the strange device that they carried correctly, had gone off, evidently signaling that a digimon was about to enter the real world.

"Kazu…" she began. "For the last time, stay in your seat, and keep quiet."

Kazu… that boy, for some reason he always found some way to test her patience, pushing the envelope to see just how far he could get, sometimes without really meaning to (even on the rare occasion that he _had_ good intentions). No other child had the capability to try her patience so much or end up in detention so often, and there had been plenty of contenders over the years.

Kazu stood up from his chair and leaned forward, hands splayed on the top of his desk and his tone took on a demanding manner.

"What? Why this time? You've let us go before in the middle of class and you know that we've come back each and every time. We've even done _make-up_ work after school against my better judgement…"

"Kazu…" began Kenta in a worried tone, wanting to stop his friend from saying something that he'd regret later.

"Don't _Kazu_ me, chumley. I'm not liking this, and I won't stand for it…"

"You are standing Kazu," spoke up a girl rather sarcastically.

"Don't start with me Ayaka," growled Kazu, and the girl raised an eyebrow slightly at his tone. Kazu turned back to Asagi.

"You _know_ that this is what we have to do," said Kazu. "We're _meant_ to do this. We weren't given these digivices just because they make a cool accessory item for our good looks you know. Come on. Takato's made this speech plenty of times…"

_"I don't want to hear another word about this!"_ Shouted Ms. Asagi, stunning the boy, and the rest of the class into silence. It was a rare occasion that their teacher ever lost her temper (though with Kazu in her class, that tended to happen more regularly than in her previous years of teaching). Ms. Asagi paused for a moment, taking a shaky breath as she tried to calm herself. When she was done, she looked straight at Kazu, her eyes containing a fire in them that made everyone in the room want to inch backwards in their seats.

"You… all of you. You're _my_ responsibility! I know what you have to do, but do you honestly believe that I can just _accept_ that? Do you think that I should just stand aside and let you just charge out there against who knows what and expect that everything is going to be okay? You don't know what kind of digimon is out there! And besides, isn't there a government agency that deals with this? They did during the D-Reaper invasion so why can't they handle this as well? For goodness sake, _your only kids!"_

Silence filled the room, and for the Tamers that were in there, Ms. Asagi's speech, reminiscent of what she had said the day that they all left to go to the digital world, echoed through their minds. Jeri Katou looked up at their teacher. It was easy to see why she was so upset about this. The loss of Guilmon and its affect on Takato, her own student, was easy to understand, especially from her own viewpoint, having experienced loss herself. There had been many times where she had worried about Takato and the others when they had gone charging off against some unknown foe, and she wished that she could be a part of that again, to help do what she could to protect them rather than sit on the sidelines and wait for news to come back to her about whether or not they made it out in one piece. Just as she wished that she had been able to protect Takato and Guilmon. Jeri had long accepted that she could no longer fight alongside her friends in battle, and had instead opted to be the heart of their group. The person who could help remind them that they could still be children and be friends rather than Tamers every second of their lives. And even during those times where that kind of attitude wasn't appropriate, she could also be the one that would listen whenever they had problems. The one that they could go to, and she would do what she could to relieve the stress from their lives. Or in situations such as this, she was their intermediate when Takato or Henry weren't available to do so. Especially Takato.

_Takato always knew what to say when he reminded the others, family or close friends, that we had a duty to protect our homes._ The image of Takato's smiling face came to mind, and outside the storm clouds thundered. Jeri drew in a deep breath, hoping that she could at least do him proud in his stead.

"Ms. Asagi?" Called out Jeri's voice. It sounded so small in the stillness of the room, and Jeri wondered if Takato ever felt this whenever he stepped up like this. It certainly seemed that he had on a few occasions, but he had become more confident with himself as time had gone on. Now it was her turn.

Ms. Asagi turned to the girl in the green dress, and she stood up, her hands folded in front of her politely as she looked her teacher in the eye. Jeri suddenly felt like she was about to face down a lion, and she resisted the urge to smile.

She could be a lion too when she wanted. After all, she had the heart of one.

"I know that you're upset over what happened to Takato," Jeri said, her clear, smooth voice cutting through the quiet of the room like glass. Rain drops pitter pattered on the windowpane outside, but the girl paid no attention to them. "And it is true that there are other people who can help with this kind of thing, but…" Jeri paused, as though measuring her words before proceeding again. "But sometimes those other people aren't enough. They might not react fast enough to do any good, and that's why we have to do our duty. Why _Kazu_ and _Kenta_ need to do their duty."

The two boys just stared at Jeri in awe, and Jeri resisted the urge to fidget with her hands. She had to stay strong, and keep going until she was done with what she had to say.

"Innocent people could get hurt unless they do something, and as much as I don't like the idea of losing friends like Guilmon, there are some things that are worth fighting for, worth risking in order to make sure that no one else loses what they consider important. It's a risk we all take, but it's a risk that we're willing to accept. You see… I have _personal_ experience with that sort of thing, and now, so does Takato. And I know that despite what he's going through, he would say the same thing."

Jeri stood there, wanting to sit down, but believing that that would make a bad impression. She held Ms. Asagi's gaze for a moment, wanting to will her to give her two friends the permission that they needed to go out there and do what needed to be done for the sake of Shinjuku and the rest of the world. No matter what the cost.

Leomon would have agreed.

There was a tense silence, broken only by the sound of Kazu making sniffing noises, apparently overwhelmed by Jeri's speech, but no one commented on them. All focus was directed on Ms. Asagi and Jeri Katou as a contest of wills played out between them.

Interrupted by the sound of thrusters and a tapping on the room's glass window.

_"Guardromon!"_ Exclaimed Kazu as he leapt out of his seat and ran towards the window, glad to see the robotic digimon that now hovered outside his classroom. Ms. Asagi made as if to stop him, but halted in her action as the boy sped on over and with a grunt opened the window.

"Excuse me Kazu," said Guardromon politely, turning his eyes over to Ms. Asagi immediately afterwards. "And pardon me for my intrusion Miss. I've only come to inform Kazu here that a digimon has entered the real world and that it would be in our interests to go take a look."

Kazu looked over at his teacher, wanting to make some sarcastic comment about how he didn't need permission to carry out his Taming duties, but such an action wouldn't serve him in this case. Not if Ms. Asagi's earlier outburst had anything to do with it. It all came down to whether or not Jeri's speech had had any affect on her.

Ms. Asagi sighed.

"Is it really that important?"

Suddenly there was an explosion in the sky, and a bright light illuminated the city for a brief moment, beating in time with the sound of thunder that roared in the sky.

"Well, does that answer your question? Let's go Guardromon!"

The robotic digimon held out his arms carefully for the boy, his armor shining and glistening from the rain that had been pelting him continuously since he first hazarded out into the weather. Kazu paused as he took his partner's appearance in, wondering if the moisture would make it harder for him to ride on his partner's shoulder, as he was normally accustomed to doing.

"Um… tell you what. Why don't I hit the streets with Kenta and we'll all head down there?"

Guardromon looked confused.

"But why? I thought this was how you always wanted to leave this place you call a _prison._ "

Kazu stiffened in shock. He could almost feel his teacher's gaze burning a hole in his back.

"Guardromon…"

* * *

Kazu and Kenta, with MarineAngemon floating behind them, met up with Henry (having somehow excused himself from class) and exited the school doors, meeting up with an already waiting Guardromon and Terriermon.

"It's about time," said Terriermon as he waved an ear at his partner. "I was getting bored waiting for you Henry. Almost thought that you were chickening out on me there, unless you find a math test much more important. Oh well, it's just the safety of the world that's at stake…"

"Terriermon," began Henry. "Let's just get a move on."

"You're speakin' my language," said the long eared bunny dog as he hopped up onto Henry's shoulder. "Now let's go! MUSH!"

Henry groaned as he took off. There just wasn't getting through to that crazy little digimon.

Kazu and Kenta exchanged glances and shrugged their shoulders before following the half-Chinese Tamer. It was almost like old times all of a sudden. Now if only Takato and Guilmon were there to back them up.

* * *

Jeri watched her friends go with the rest of her class, including Ms. Asagi. Jeri turned towards Ms. Asagi and regarded her, noting the worry on her face and wanting to tell her that it would be all right, but not sure if she would believe it. Not after what happened to Takato and Guilmon anyway. For Jeri, saying that everything would be all right was probably more for her comfort than for her teachers. Returning her gaze to the gates of the school, watching as Henry, Kazu, and Kenta opened them and continued on their run towards the source of the emergence, Jeri could only _hope_ that things would turn out okay, just as Takato had said so often in the past.

A flash of light that was not lightning burst in the sky.

_Be careful you guys,_ Jeri thought as her friends disappeared from her sight.

* * *

Ryo rushed through the streets, gauging the distance that was left between his location and that of Cyberdramon's.

_Quite a ways to go,_ thought Ryo almost sarcastically. _If only I could fly then I'd be able to get there quicker and lend him a hand. Too bad that I'm not a digimon. Oh well, no sense in wishing for what can't happen. At least not yet anyway._

Ryo paused and took out his D-Arc, activating the halo circle that granted him a view of the fight through Cyberdramon's eyes. Lucemon dodged another Desolation Claw attack and now the gold bands on his arms and legs were glowing like miniature stars. Never a good sign if Ryo knew his Digimon cards, and when it came to that field he knew them well.

_I need to give him an edge,_ thought Ryo as he dug into his pocket and pulled out a handful of cards. _I may be too far away to biomerge with Cyberdramon, but I should still be able to modify him so that he can fight better. Now, where's that Speed boost card…?_

Suddenly, Ryo gasped as pain tore through him. Gripping his shoulder from where the pain had come from, Ryo fought his way through it and gripped his D-Arc tighter before gritting his teeth and deciding to bear with it, Ryo selected a card, a power boost card, and slid it through his D-Arc. Electricity crackled as the card's stats were read and fed into the digivice, before finally transmitting via the link between Tamer and digimon.

" _Digi-modify!_ " Shouted Ryo as he swiped the card through the slot.  _"Power activate!"_

* * *

Cyberdramon snarled as he felt new strength course through his body, strengthening the bonds of his data and increasing the amount of damage that he was capable of dealing. Swinging to the left, the cybernetic dragon dodged an incoming Grand Cross attack from Lucemon before diving at the angel and slashing at him with claws glowing azure. Lucemon, not expecting the sudden dodge or the swift counterattack gritted his teeth, holding back the cry of pain that threatened to emerge from his lips. No. He wouldn't give this data scum the satisfaction of crying out in pain.

_I've got to do something to end this though,_ thought Lucemon. _I'm not exactly at the top of my form in order to battle a digimon at this high a level. I'm still weak from the fight four days ago, and with the Great Dragon still out there I can't afford to be defeated by this Cyberdramon. There's also something about this digimon that bothers me. Something… that reminds me a little of the Great Dragon, but I can't quite seem to get a clear idea as to what it is. I could destroy this digimon and end whatever threat it poses, but it also has the feel of the Sovereigns power about it. Perhaps it's just my imagination, but I can't afford to delete a possible servant of the Sovereigns. Not right now at least. But that doesn't help me end this battAAAGH!_

A blue bolt of energy connected with Lucemon's stomach, and was shortly followed up by a second to the chest, sending the angelic digimon falling towards the ground. Pain ripped its way through Lucemon's body, and he struggled to maintain consciousness, but he was having a hard time of it, having been dramatically weakened from his battle four days ago, and now this fight with Cyberdramon wasn't really making things better. As he watched, Cyberdramon flew closer, snarling as he brought his glowing claws together again.

"Good try," growled the cyborg dragon. "But not good enough! _Desolation Cla…!"_

And that was when, as though in answer to Lucemon's prayers, a bolt of lightning rained down from out of the sky and struck Cyberdramon full in the back. Howling with rage, his armor smoking slightly from the heat and brunt of the blast, Cyberdramon growled, but was more or less unfazed by the sudden and unexpected shock that had coursed through his system. It would take a lot more than that to take him down…

Cyberdramon grunted as Lucemon, having recovered enough to catch an updraft, flew up and slammed into him, the bands on his wrists glowing alongside the Hazard symbol on his left hand. With a burst of energy Lucemon blew Cyberdramon away from him and then summoned a facsimile of the solar system in front of him, aimed right at Cyberdramon.

"GRAAAAH!" Cyberdramon roared just as soon as Lucemon let loose his attack.

* * *

Ryo nearly collapsed on the ground as he felt pain once more rake his body. Twin pains actually, and one of them felt like a bolt of electricity had just coursed through him. The last one however was the real clincher. Cyberdramon just got nailed good, and at a fairly close range at that. He didn't doubt that the Ultimate would be able to shrug off the blast in short order, but if he was right, that was all the time that Lucemon needed to either try to delete Cyberdramon or make good on his getaway. Calling up the halo circle once more, Ryo tried to get an idea as to what was going on.

_Can't see through all that smoke,_ thought Ryo.

* * *

Lucemon watched as his attack impacted with the Ultimate android and threw his form into the side of a building, hitting it with ferocious force and kicking up smoke and debris as he did so. He briefly considered moving in for the kill, regardless of whether or not this Cyberdramon was a servant of the Sovereigns. Besides, they had plenty of servants anyway, and the one that ruled this quadrant of the digital world wouldn't complain too much if he lost another one. The only exceptions that the fiery bird of the south had made had been the Devas, but it wasn't as if they were irreplaceable.

Something poked at the edges of Lucemon's senses. Turning he saw a small, but familiar group of children racing down the streets, heading in his direction. They were still a fair distance off, but at least now they would be able to see him.

_Time to go. I have a dragon to destroy,_ thought Lucemon. And on his angelic wings, Lucemon took off, vanishing into the storm as it continued to rage about him.

* * *

Henry Wong drew to a halt as he spotted a floating figure wheel about and fly away from the smoking hole that he had just saw Cyberdramon get blasted into. That had to be the digimon that had entered the real world. It had to be (after all, how many other digimon were flying around wrecking havoc in Shinjuku). It was just that… there was something familiar about it. The way that it moved, and its outline, what little he had seen of it, struck a cord in him.

"We've got to get that digimon," said Henry as he took off once again, Terriermon struggling to hang on to the boys orange vest as he ran through the streets. Kenta and Kazu straggling behind him.

"Kenta," gasped Kazu. "I don't suppose that we can get MarineAngemon to carry us, could we?"

"I had already asked him that once," whined Kenta.


	16. Trails

Lucemon flew fast and furious, straining his wings against the harsh winds and rain of the storm that continued to pound its way across Shinjuku. Cursing inaudibly underneath his breath, Lucemon zeroed in on the area where his senses had pinpointed the breach between the words.

_Almost there,_ Lucemon thought, checking behind him once more to see if there was any sign of pursuit. There was none as far as he could see. Good. He didn't want to have to deal with those Tamers any time soon. In his weakened condition, he wasn't sure if he could take them, even if they were starting to become a hindrance for his mission. Regardless of whether or not he would fight them again, he was still going to find the reborn embodiment of the Great Dragon. He was certain that Megidramon had emerged into existence once again. The throbbing of the Hazard symbol that marked the angel's left hand certainly spoke for that, though it was now starting to taper off.

_I must stop the Dragon before it can get away and hide itself again in this world,_ thought Lucemon, cursing the Tamers and their digimon for their interference. If the delay caused by his fighting them had allowed the Hazard Dragon to escape… Lucemon shuddered. He had seen the affects that just a short use of the Digital Hazard had caused to the digital world, and with the same symbol marking him Lucemon knew first hand just how dangerous that that strange force was. None of the other lords of the digital world understood it. Not the Sovereigns, not the Angelic Guardians, the Olympic Twelve… none of them understood how dangerous the Hazard was. Well, Yggdrasil understood it at least, though not that he would do anything about it, having _other_ concerns at the moment, but all the rest? The Sovereigns had been busy repairing and restructuring the digital world after the battle against D-Reaper, an enormous and laborious task indeed, but it wasn't because of that that they had refused to end a potential threat. Lucemon had approached each of the rulers and guardians of the digital world, telling them about Megidramon and the danger that he represented, and they just blew him off! Even Zhuqiaomon, who had witnessed its birth! The creature had nearly destroyed the digital world, right on a Sovereigns doorstep no less and they had _decided_ to let it continue to exist!

Anger simmered just beneath the surface in Lucemon's mind as he neared his destination. Now, as then, he couldn't believe how the Sovereigns could be so callous about the monster known as Megidramon. They saw what it had been capable of. They _knew_! And they still chose to do nothing! Shaking his head, blonde hair falling in front of his deep, blue, grim set eyes, Lucemon forced the thoughts away. It didn't matter now. Megidramon hadn't made an appearance since he had first been created, and neither he nor the other digital guardians had sensed anything from the Hazard since that day. Besides, he had already destroyed the original Megidramon, and shut off the road to that evolution, at least for now. Whatever it was that had been reborn may have had the same essence as the original, but in a new body it was going to take some time to digivolve and gain sufficient experience to actually pose a threat. And now that it was weak and vulnerable, Lucemon was going to make certain that this reborn version of Megidramon would die before it ever digivolved.

Nearing the area where his senses had told him that his quarry had entered the real world, Lucemon began to descend into what looked like a construction site for a human building, checking over his shoulder once more for any new signs of pursuit. Once again, finding none, Lucemon landed on the ground and took a look around him, reaching out with his senses, trying to find some spore of the creature that he sought out.

Growling under his breath in frustration, Lucemon realized that while what he had sensed was recent, it was clear that whatever had been here had left. Looking around, Lucemon tried to see if he could find any further signs of its passing.

_Looks like two digimon fought here_ , thought Lucemon as he noticed the marks in the ground, and the tell tale signs of digimon unleashing their attacks on one another along with… Lucemon narrowed his eyes and approached an interesting set of prints in the ground.

_What's this?_

Bending down to take a closer look, Lucemon frowned at what he saw.

_Two humans were here. Tamers by the looks of it. Did they destroy the creature? And if they did, did they upload its data? No. There would be data floating through the air still if they didn't load the digimon, so either they uploaded it or…_

Lucemon's gaze traced back to where the digimon battle had taken place, taking a close look at the kicked up dirt, the imprints of bodies and clawed feet… it looked like it had been a close battle between the two. One of them had clearly been a Renamon, no doubt the one partnered with the red haired human female while the other one… perhaps the same creature that he himself had destroyed. Or perhaps not. He didn't get that good of a look when he first met the beast and his human partner. If so, then why did the girl and Renamon fight it? Of all the Tamers, those two had attacked him the most savagely in their first encounter. The Cyberdramon, as vicious as it had been in their battle, still fought with an uncanny precision, not wasting its energy and not reacting out of any emotion save for that of its odd bloodlust, and even that was tempered back by experience. It had the heart of a warrior, despite anything else that may have gone into its evolution, and while he had sensed the same thing in the Sakuyamon from earlier, she had made no attempt to reign in her emotions during their battle. So if the two partners that formed that particular Mega level digimon had arrived here before him, why did they engage it in battle?

Did they finally see his point of view?

Lucemon frowned. No. If that was the case, then the other Tamers were likely to not attack him when they had seen him again. Of course, only _one_ digimon partner had actually done the deed so it was possible that he was acting alone in the matter…

Lucemon's frown deepened. As interesting as this line of thought was, it wasn't getting him any answers as to what had happened and whether or not the Dragon was still alive. Looking further around the construction site, Lucemon followed the trail of battle, his eyes tracing over the imprints in the ground until finally settling on one. It looked like the newcomer had somehow thrown his enemy off and had made a break for it. It was a little difficult to tell though, since the rain had been pouring down mercilessly, erasing some spots and blurring others, and then there was another set of tracks that he just couldn't identify (the only thing that he could comfortably say was that it looked like something _large_ and flew had come in for a landing), but seeing as how the tracks looked as though the creature had broken past the two human tracks (apparently knocking the humans down in the process) and with the lack of any sign of attacks being launched at it, Lucemon felt certain that the Beast of the Hazard had managed to escape. It was still out there, somewhere. Gripping his fist, Lucemon felt the hazard imprints heat. Yes, that as well also made him feel that the Dragon was still alive and well. The Hazard had an _affinity_ of sorts for beings that share its qualities and connections. It wouldn't be easy to find the digimon, but he could do so.

He would find the Dragon, and he would destroy it.

Leaping up into the air, Lucemon's wings beat on the air, and with a tremendous push, the angelic digimon took flight as he began his search for the entity that would in time, if he was unable to carry out this quest, become the being known as Megidramon.

* * *

"Aw… _nuts!"_ Exclaimed Kenta as the signal on his D-Arc suddenly disappeared. "I've lost him…"

"Same here," said Kazu, looking first at his friend before turning his face up towards the sky, blinking against the rain that continued to beat down on him.

_"Hey! Guardromon! Any luck up there?!"_

Up in the sky, turning every which way, one hand raised to shield his optical sensors from getting water in them (as well as comically imitating the action that humans, specifically his partner, did when searching a far distance for one particular object or person), the machine digimon known as Guardromon stopped and looked down at the visor wearing child that was his Tamer.

"Sorry, Kazu, but Lucemon has escaped the range of my sensors."

"Well that's convenient," grunted Kazu.

"Kazu…" began Henry, sighing in frustration as though he were chastising one of Terriermon's remarks. "You really shouldn't be angry with Guardromon you know. He's just doing what he can."

"I know," said Kazu grouchily, kicking at the ground and sending a loose pebble flying off. "But we were _so_ close to taking on the digimon that destroyed Guilmon. It just doesn't seem fair that Cyberdramon was the only one to get any licks in just because he was there first."

As if on cue, the cybernetic, Ultimate level dragon digimon slowly flew over with Kenta's partner, MarineAngemon in tow, having gone immediately to his aid as soon as they all saw him get hit by Lucemon's attack. The attack had been pretty nasty from what the children had seen from their vantage point, but it looked like Cyberdramon handled it pretty well. A whole lot better than the building that he had crashed into that's for sure, but then, MarineAngemon's ministrations may have had something to do with that. As to what had happened to the occupants of the building they had no way of knowing. The sounds of sirens filled the air, and the Tamers tensed.

"We should get out of here," said Henry, turning to the others. "The authorities are on their way, and we shouldn't be here when they arrive."

"What?" Demanded Kazu. "Are you nuts? It's not like they're going to arrest us or anything. Yamaki cut a deal with them after all…"

Henry resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Sometimes he wondered how it was that he had become friends with this kid.

"No, but they may delay us from trying to find Lucemon, and Yamaki has to be made aware that there's a Lucemon, probably the same one as from before, here in the real world, and if we don't find him who knows what kind of damage he could wreck while he's here!"

"All right," said Kazu, nodding his head in agreement. "I guess that makes sense. So, do you think that we should probably hook up with Ryo and regroup back at Hypnos or something?"

"I don't know if Ryo's out there," said Henry, looking over at Cyberdramon, who simply stared back at the boy, not showing any reaction that would give him an answer. "But I do think that we should head to Hypnos, apprise Yamaki of the situation, and then see if we can't find Lucemon. With the network detection capabilities that Hypnos has, they might be able to pinpoint his location faster than we can on foot!"

Kazu and Kenta exchanged glances before turning back to Henry and nodding in agreement with Henry's plan. While it may have been far faster to contact Yamaki via a pay phone, without Rika's cell phone they wouldn't have been able to stay in contact with Hypnos. Kazu still had some doubts as to whether or not they should head down to Hypnos since their digivices were perfectly capable of getting a read on wherever Lucemon was hiding, but that would mean engaging the angel in battle, and out of the three of them, only Henry was suited to taking him on, and he couldn't afford to go all out on him as MegaGargomon with a city full of civilians since Lucemon made for one small target. If Rika or Ryo were there then…

Kazu shook his head, a little disgusted with himself for still not being able to digivolve his partner, Guardromon, to the Ultimate level. The other Tamers took up the majority of the battles due to their experience with those situations, and the idea of losing another friend against a powerful digimon, especially one like Lucemon, did not sit well with any of them.

_At least Kenta doesn't have to worry about that sort of thing. His partner's already at the Mega level, and while he doesn't fight much, he's still tough enough to take on most digimon. What do I have?_

Kazu clenched his fists, wanting desperately to be able to do something other than just be support and a distraction in battle, but with his partner's current level, there just didn't seem to be any way that he could get around that.

"Kazu!" Called out Kenta as he stopped alongside Guardromon from following Henry as they began to race towards Hypnos. "Come on! We've got to go!"

Kazu looked up, startled. He hadn't even noticed that Henry, Kenta, MarineAngemon, Terrriermon, Guardromon, and Cyberdramon had already begun to leave. So wrapped up in his own thoughts…

_No wonder the others take all the battles. I always zone out, just like in Mrs. Asagi's class._

Kazu forced himself to stop berating himself and began to pursue his friends, Kenta and Guardromon beginning to move once again now that their friend had joined them. In his mind, Kazu realized that this wasn't the time to be thinking about his own shortcomings, but in his heart he still wished that he could do more.

If he had been, he reasoned, he would have been able to do something for Takato.

* * *

Ryo Akiyama made his way through the streets, ignoring the fading pains from Cyberdramon's battle with Lucemon, checking his digivice every so often to see what his partner's progress was. He was glad to see that most of the other Tamers had been able to get out of school for this like he had been able to. He wondered if Rika had been able to pull off the same thing, and if she weren't it certainly wouldn't be for lack of trying that's for sure, especially if she knew that Lucemon was the digimon that had arrived. From what he recalled the last time that he had seen her, she still had a score to settle with that particular digimon. That is, if it was the same digimon.

Ryo frowned, thinking on that. Was it the same Lucemon? It was too much of a coincidence not to be, and they had no real way of knowing as to whether or not he _had_ been deleted in their last battle. And if it was the same one…? His and the other Tamer's digivices tended to react to a digimon's signal if one was either close by or were breaking the barriers that separated the worlds. Since Lucemon was out of range for the digivice to pick him up (seeing as how he was already in the real world), it stood to reason that another digimon had entered the real world. If that was the case, then there was still danger out there. He had to get to the others… _fast_. But he had only a bare idea as to where they were. They _might_ be going after Lucemon, the signal, or they could have been heading towards Hypnos.

_So many choices, so little time,_ thought Ryo, but he felt certain that if they weren't going after Lucemon, then odds were they were moving towards Hypnos. Not a bad idea since there they would be able to get a clearer idea of what was going on and track the digimon's movements better… yeah. That had to be the case. They had to be going to Hypnos. Smiling lightly, Ryo began to head in the direction of the twin towers of the Hypnos agency, wincing slightly at the pain that he still felt through the link that he shared with his partner.

As the Legendary Tamer looked up at the sky, he thought he saw an angelic figure fly by.

_Wha…?_ Ryo thought as his face turned, trying to keep up with it. Sure enough, the familiar twelve-winged form of an angelic child flew between two buildings. Ryo watched for a moment longer before bringing out his digivice and activated the tracking program, his face set in a determined expression.

_Lucemon…_

Ryo Akiyama broke into pursuit.


	17. Hazard's Sin: Part 1

_What am I going to say?_ Thought Takato as he and Rika walked through the halls of Hypnos, flanked by two agents and another in front of them, guiding them through the building as they headed through its halls, heading to Yamaki's center of operations. The agents had told them while in the helicopter that they were to see Yamaki as soon as they touched down and that they were to escort them there. Which was thoughtful, since he and Rika didn't show up at Hypnos as often as Henry did to familiarize themselves with the place, but it left Takato a nervous wreck. How was he supposed to explain to Yamaki that he had either brought Guilmon back to life, or had possibly recreated his partner, only to have something go wrong in the process? What was his reaction going to be? The thought of lying didn't enter his mind at all. Takato wasn't the type to try to hide whenever he messed up on something, no matter how bad it was, and he always admitted his faults. That was how he had been brought up after all, and he wasn't going to betray what his parents had taught him.

Takato took a deep breath. He guessed that all that he could do was tell the truth, leave nothing out, and weather the storm as best as he could.

An image of the dark colored Guilmon that Rika and Renamon had fought, the being that he had created from a sketch on a piece of paper, entered his mind.

_Oh Guilmon,_ thought Takato miserably. _What have I done to you, boy?_

"You want to tell me what that was all about, Takato?" Asked Rika suddenly from next to him, her hand still entwined with his as they moved down the hall. Startled, Takato turned to look at the girl. She wasn't looking at him, but her face was set in a fierce expression that unless one looked closely, could be mistaken for anger. Takato however, had known her long enough to know that she was in deep thought right now.

"Um… what was what all about Rika?" Asked Takato, a little confused as to what he was referring to. He had an idea of course, but a little clarification always helped, especially in Rika's case. Misunderstandings sometimes had a way of making a situation go from bad to worse when it came to the fiery Tamer.

Rika sighed.

"About that _BlackGuilmon_ ," said Rika a little harshly, feeling just a little bit miffed at Takato's proclamation of ignorance as to what she was asking him about. She probably would have called him _Gogglehead_ , as though by saying that nickname she could put some emphasis into her irritation, but decided to refrain from such an action. With what the girl had on her mind at this moment, she wanted to keep her focus on being _diplomatic_ with her friend, and see what he knew about all this without betraying anything that she herself already knew, or thought that she knew.

The dream that she had had about Takato, slashing his drawing of Guilmon through his D-Arc was something that confused her, however much she tried not to dwell on it. During the course of her adventures as a Tamer she had experienced quite a few things that could be described as _odd_ _occurrences_ , but she had to admit, the dream that she had certainly topped them all. The memory of that day that she and Takato met in that alley, and then later going down to her house where he told her about his dream about her came to mind. He had claimed confusion, no doubt similar to what she was feeling now, as to what the dream had meant, and all that she had to say in response was just how weird it sounded. She didn't know whether to believe the kid or not. At the time she had thought that he had been following her around and his telling her about that dream really didn't make him look any better in her eyes.

Once again Rika felt a kind of irony at how the new situation had put them in almost the same roles that they had been in at their first meeting.

_Shoes on the other foot now,_ thought Rika as she turned to look at the boy. Takato wasn't looking at her now, and was apparently doing some deep soul searching as he tried to find the courage to answer her question. Impatience flared slightly in her heart, but the red haired girl squashed it, not wanting to put more pressure on Takato than he was already feeling. Unconsciously, Rika squeezed his hand, lending him some of her strength and at the same time trying to encourage him to hurry up and say something. The two Tamers and the three agents stopped in front of an elevator, the lead one pressing a button to call for it and they waited. Takato's eyes shifted nervously.

"I…" Takato began, his eyes lowered towards the ground. "… I made a mistake."

Rika waited for him to continue.

"I just… I missed Guilmon so much that I… I thought that…" Takato closed his eyes, fighting back the pain and confusion that had been tormenting him since Renamon's battle with the new Guilmon. Takato took a deep breath. "… I just wanted to have Guilmon back. I wanted to see him again, and I didn't think that I could keep going without him. He meant so much to me and…" Takato paused, realizing that he was basically reciting everything that had been said at the memorial that they had held for the crimson dino at the park. Rika probably already knew all the reasons why he would do what he did, or at least could understand them, so why did he feel the need to justify his actions? Deep in his heart, Takato already knew why. He had defaced his friend's memory by trying to replace him. He had hoped that he would be able to bring him back all the way, but of course there was no guarantee that he would have been able to do so. He guessed that he had already known that, but pain had made him blind to that knowledge, and the slim offer of relief from that pain had seduced him into making a rash decision without telling any of his friends. Looking back, Takato began to realize that his reasons may have been driven more out of a selfish need to end his pain and to feel like he was needed and necessary to be with his friends, for there was also the deeply rooted fear that despite everything that he had done in the course of his adventures, without Guilmon he was… well, to put it bluntly, he was just another _Gogglehead_. A kid with hopes and dreams, but in the end would be just a hindrance to his friends. Takato felt that that fear might have contributed to Guilmon coming out the way that he did when he slashed the drawings a second time.

Takato wondered where all his faith, the faith in himself, his friends, his family, and in fate had gone. He supposed that it vanished as soon as the reality of his friend's death had set in. He had believed that as long as he had his friends, that he knew that they would be there to back him, then nothing bad could happen to him. It was almost ironic that he lost his best friend because he had been alone in that battle against Lucemon.

So where had his courage gone since then? It seemed as though he had been operating alone since the day that he had lost Guilmon, trying to find a new direction and failing. The others had been trying to console him, reminding him that they were there for him and he had instead shut them out. He hadn't even told them about Lucemon's reasons for attacking Guilmon…

_I don't think that I could tell them about that. Especially Jeri. It was my fault that I lost it that day, but if she knew the reason why Guilmon was destroyed she might hold herself to blame for what happened, and I can't let her…_

The pressure of Rika's hand in his own brought Takato back to reality. She was still waiting for an answer. Takato took another breath and steadied himself. No more preliminaries. He _had_ to tell her. She had stood by him this far and had offered him her help. If they were friends, then he had to live up to his end of that relationship. No _ifs_ , _ands,_ or _buts_ about it.

"I tried to bring Guilmon back to life," Takato explained carefully, his heart hammering in his chest almost painfully. "I rescanned the drawings that I made of him, the ones I drew before we first met, and my digivice created a digi-egg, just like it did the last time. I thought that if I did that, the Digignomes that had helped make him the first time would be able to restore him…"

_Guess that I thought wrong,_ thought Takato miserably as he finished answering Rika's question. Risking a glance, Takato tried to see what the girl's reaction was. He wasn't quite sure what he expected. Maybe anger. Maybe her saying something to belittle him, saying how stupid he was to even think that what he did would even work, or maybe some kind of speech. Something to drive home the lesson that he had now learned, and was still in the process of learning. At least something that involved some kind of verbal response, but she didn't do any of that. Her face had assumed a look of deep thoughtfulness as she processed what he had told her.

Takato wasn't sure if he should be worried about that or not.

The elevator door in front of them dinged, signaling the cars arrival and the doors opened. The children and the agents filed in and the doors closed on them.

* * *

Jeri counted the minutes that ticked by since her friends departed from the schools grounds, wondering what their progress was with the digimon that had entered the real world. The atmosphere in the room was tense and quiet. Ms. Asagi had the class break out their history textbooks and had assigned them to read a chapter and take notes, as it would be on their next exam. Jeri was to inform the Tamers of this when she saw them again.

Jeri sighed mentally at her friend's absence, wishing that she was able to do something but knowing full well that there was little that she could do when the Tamers were out and performing their duties. There were times where Jeri felt useless. Since she was no longer a Tamer she couldn't afford to go charging off into battle the way that the others were able to do, and the incident where Guilmon had died had been one such moment. She had been powerless to do a thing to help Guilmon and Takato in their battle against Lucemon, and when she had gone to get the others they had made her stay behind so that she wouldn't be hurt in the ensuing battle. She had hoped that they would all come out all right, as they seemed to do so often in the past, but this time her hope was rewarded with the loss of another friend. Images of her long dead partner, Leomon, and now that of Guilmon, flooded Jeri's mind as she struggled to keep her focus on her work, and an image of Takato, eyes downcast and lost, soon joined them. Jeri tried to accept what had happened, as she had in the embrace of the malevolent program known as D-Reaper, and move past the pain. Not that doing so was easy, and she didn't want to forget about Guilmon, but she knew that she couldn't let the pain control her life and affect how she acted towards the world.

Like it had done before.

Once more, for what must have been the hundredth time since Guilmon had been destroyed, Jeri wondered as to how Takato was doing; if there had been any change in him, and how he was handling things while still dealing with his loss. She thought about going down to his house after school and checking up on him, keep him company as she had come to be accustomed to doing since Guilmon's loss, and try to help him get through it as best as she could.

_Everything will be all right in the end Takato,_ thought Jeri, trying to summon a glimmer of hope in her heart while at the same time picture Takato's face in her mind, the face that normally smiled even when all was dark around him. _You taught me to have hope after all. I only hope that you don't forget that yourself. Please Takato… have hope. That's all I ask._

The pitter patter of the rain on the class rooms window finally began to taper off, and the faint rays of sunlight began to poke through the clouds as though in answer to Jeri's hopes.

* * *

Renamon leapt through the air, heading towards Shinjuku Elementary where the other Tamers were located, having opted to head there and inform the others as to what had happened once it became clear that Rika and Takato would be heading to Hypnos and that all the Tamers would be needed to deal with this situation. She wasn't sure as to how they would handle the news that Takato had somehow brought a dark version of Guilmon into the real world. What to do about it, and how the others would react was something that worried the vulpine digimon, but there was no getting around it. They would have to know sooner or later, and the soonest the better should this new Guilmon prove to be a danger to her friends and the world of humans. While they might not take to finding out about Takato's actions very well, they would still have to find a way to deal with the new Guilmon. What to do about it was certainly a question though. In the back of the kitsune's mind Renamon had to wonder, was it the same Guilmon that she had known? Twisted and warped by Takato's grief and desire to see him again? Or was it something else entirely? She had gotten a good look into the digimon's eyes when she had fought it, but she hadn't received any indication that the digimon even recognized her. It had of course, reacted to Takato, which might imply that it sensed the bond that it now shared with the boy, but that didn't mean much since the creature had tried to destroy him a second before she intervened. The only thing that she knew for certain was that she had sensed a feeling of _wrongness_ about the Guilmon. Not in the sense that it was a mistake, as digivolutions are rarely a result of a mistake and more from environmental factors, but more that there was something inherently wrong with how it came out; something hidden, and carrying a cold, brutal anger towards the world. Or maybe that was because she was so used to the crimson variation of Guilmon's digivolution that any other deviation was viewed as wrong in her eyes. Still, that feral look in the dark Guilmon's eyes… though she had seen Guilmon that way on multiple occasions directed either at her in their first encounters or towards other digimon, it disturbed her to see it with such coldness and animal-like ferocity. Guilmon always had a fire in him when he fought, but this new version of him seemed to lack that.

As Renamon's thoughts continued to revolve around her encounter with the _BlackGuilmon_ , her blue eyes caught sight of a familiar group of children and digimon. The vulpine digimon changed her course of direction and aimed towards them. As she closed in on the group, Renamon once more worried about how they would treat Takato once they found out what he had done.

* * *

Ryo Akiyama raced through the crowds as he tried to keep up with the Lucemon that remained just on the edge of his D-Arc's tracking capabilities. He was becoming certain that he was going to lose the Lucemon, but he had to keep trying. There was a chance that if it stopped long enough he could relay its location to the others and then see what he could do to stall it until they got there. Not that he was going to try tackling Lucemon himself of course. Despite the fact that he was known in some circles as _the Legendary Tamer_ , and had even defeated a force that scared the Sovereigns on more than one occasion, he didn't get his reputation by doing things the stupid way. Though he wasn't always fond of the fact that Cyberdramon always took the hits in fights, it was something that he had learned to live with, and did whatever he could to try to help his partner whether in battle or outside of it. Cyberdramon's problems, and that of his own destiny, often took first priority, superseding nearly every aspect of his life, denying him a lot of things that would otherwise leave him happy, but such was fate. There were just some things that were more important, no matter how much he might wish that it were otherwise.

As Ryo followed the signal on his compass, he began to think of what his game plan was going to be if and when he caught up with the Lucemon. What was he going to do? He couldn't fight the angelic digimon. Lucemon, despite being at the Rookie level, was strong enough to take on even a Mega, and even his In-training form was intimidating power-wise. Without Cyberdramon there was little that he could do to harm the angel (who would no doubt just brush him aside with little to no effort if he tried to do anything to him), so what was left to him then?

_Maybe… just maybe I can get him to tell me why he attacked Takato and Guilmon. There was something about that whole battle, something about how Takato talked about it when he was describing the encounter to us that seems off. If I didn't know any better I'd say that he's keeping something from us. I don't know what, and while I'm sure that he has his reasons, it may be important._

Ryo frowned. He wasn't all that sure if he wanted to go poking around into Takato's life like that, but digimon like Lucemon seldom entered the real world by accident the way most other digimon did. Lucemon digimon tended to operate as guardians of the digital world, as almost all angelic digimon did, and when they went somewhere it was with a specific purpose. Just what that purpose was could be important if it warranted a Lucemon to enter the real world, and the fact that that purpose seemed to revolve around Takato and Guilmon, unless those two just happened to get in the way and Lucemon wasn't willing to compromise, was reason enough to investigate. The world's continued existence could very well depend on it.

Resolving to continue following Lucemon's signal, Ryo turned down an alley, searching for a shortcut that would keep the signal in his D-Arc's range.

* * *

Rika and Takato followed the three agents until they stopped in front of a door and one of the agents opened it, and beckoned for them to go through. Rika turned her thoughts away from the _BlackGuilmon_ and the dream that Takato had just confirmed to focus on the matter at hand. She sensed Takato's tension as they entered the room, some of it caused from her silence since he had answered her question, and the rest no doubt as a result of the oncoming meeting with Yamaki. Giving his hand one final comforting squeeze Rika let go and the two of them entered the room to face the head of Hypnos, already getting up from his desk to greet them.

_Moment of truth,_ thought Rika as they both took seats in front of the blonde haired man.

Yamaki looked at the two children for a moment, raising one eyebrow at Takato's presence before turning to Rika.

"I'll get straight to the point," said Yamaki, taking no time to beat around the bush. "Earlier we detected a digimon bio-emerging into the real world and I sent out agents to deal with it, and they found you two at the sight. I'd like to know what happened."

Rika crossed her arms, trying to ignore the tension that now seemed to pervade the room. She glanced at Takato, and he took that as his cue to start things off.

"Well sir," began Takato, his voice shaking slightly from nerves but he held his ground and continued. "It went like this…"

Yamaki's attention was now grounded on Takato as the boy spoke.

* * *

"Hold on," said Henry as he finished processing what Renamon had told them. "What's Takato doing at Hypnos?"

Renamon's face remained impassive.

"It would take too much time to explain it to you," said the vulpine digimon serenely as she met Henry's eyes. "It would be far easier if we went to Hypnos and learned the reason there. Something important has come up that will require all of our attention, including Takato's."

Renamon's gaze traced over each of the Tamers and their partners, settling on Cyberdramon and taking in his condition once again since she had arrived. Her azure eyes narrowed.

"Besides. I see that you also have some information to share."

"You could at least tell us what this is all about," said Terriermon from Henry's shoulder. There was a murmur of agreement from Kazu and Kenta behind him. Terriermon continued. "At the very least you can dumb it down so that Kazu can understand it and not leave us in the dark."

"Yeah… HEY!" Cried out Kazu indignantly.

Renamon shook her head.

"My apologies. As I said, the matter is far too complex for a simple explanation, and I wasn't there when it all began so I couldn't begin to answer the questions that you would ask if I told you."

Henry sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

"All right," said the Tamer. "I don't like agreeing to this, but I can see where you're not going to give us much choice in the matter. As much as I want to know what's going on I guess that it can wait a little while longer. What does Rika have to say about this? Since she's already with Takato does she at least know what's going on?"

Renamon turned to the side, her expression not changing once as she looked at the children.

"She has an idea," said the kitsune simply before vanishing into thin air. The group stared at the spot where she had stood for a moment longer, letting this recent development settle in before breaking the silence.

"Sheesh," said Terriermon. "She could have at least said _see you there_."

"I don't like this," said Kazu. "Not that I won't be happy to see Takato again, but don't any of you find this the least bit odd?"

"I can agree with you on that," said Henry with a nod of his head. "There's something about this that doesn't seem right."

Kenta looked at his friends tentatively before deciding to share his thoughts.

"Do you… do you think that the reason why Takato's at Hypnos is because they found a way to bring Guilmon back to life? I mean, I can't think of any other reason why Takato would be there."

Little did they know it, but Kenta had come the closest to what had actually happened.

"I doubt it," said Henry. "I think that this has more to do with the Lucemon that we saw. If it's the same one as last time, he might be getting ready to do something. What that is I can't figure out. If only we could find out what his intentions are…"

"Well, we won't be finding out anything if we're just going to stand around here all day," said Kazu. "Let's make tracks and get down to Hypnos as quickly as possible so that we can find out what's going on and then figure out where to go from there."

"Can't argue with logic like that," said Terriermon to Henry. Henry forced a smile and with that the three boys and four digimon took off, heading towards the twin towers of the Hypnos agency.


	18. Hazard's Sin: Part 2

Yamaki looked outside the window to his office, the last bit of rain from the storm making a soft pitter-patter upon the glass as he gathered his thoughts. Looking at the reflections cast upon the window, Yamaki studied the faces of the two children that sat in front of his desk. The Matsuki boy, lacking the yellow goggles that normally adorned his forehead, was looking at his back, his expression a picture of worry. Some of it out of fear of what his response would be to what he had told him, as a child would worry about what a parent's reaction would be when they get caught making a mistake and having admitted it. (a strange thought, and mental image, Yamaki thought, comparing himself to Takato's parents, but he supposed that the comparison was apt given their relationship and the boy's personality). The remainder of Takato's worry was no doubt a result of having to wonder about how the rest of his friends would react to the news, and what they, as well as Hypnos, would do about it. Yamaki wasn't sure what to do about it himself. Of late, his usual protocol was, in the event that Yugoth didn't prevent the digimon from bio-emerging, was to have the Tamers deal with the problem, and if they weren't available then he'd have his own people attempt to disable the creature. He no longer attempted to destroy digimon that entered the real world unless he had absolutely no choice remaining, and all attempts at incapacitating failed and there was no hope of easily returning them to the digital world without causing further destruction. And if the digimon arrived with a connection to a human child… well, that changed things considerably.

The new Guilmon that Takato had said that he had brought into existence, with its difference in personality (though how different remained to be seen, having only one encounter to base his assumptions on, and digimon tended to be violent upon bio-emerging anyway, being normally disoriented from the transit) was a new factor all together, and yet it was Takato's partner. Wasn't it? According to the Tamer, the first Guilmon came into existence in the exact same way that the second one did. By slashing a drawing through the D-Arc's slot and having the digi-gnomes described by Mr. Mizuno put together the appropriate data to match the information that had been gathered.

_But how had the new Guilmon turned out to be so radically different?_ Yamaki wondered. In the time that the two Tamers had been in the head of Hypnos's office, Takato had discussed his first couple of days as a Tamer, starting with his receiving the digivice and ending with Guilmon's entrance into the real world at a construction site, a site that had been in the exact same place that the second Guilmon had appeared.

A strange irony, Yamaki felt.

_The first order of business,_ Yamaki thought to himself. _Is to retrieve the Guilmon and bring him back here, hopefully without damaging him. From there we can determine whether or not he's a danger to this world. And if not…_

Yamaki frowned.

_I wonder what Shibumi will have to say on the matter, and whether or not this will affect his_ _**project** _

Yamaki's fingers twitched, as though attempting to flick open a cigarette lighter that wasn't there. Old habits die hard, and this one died the hardest it seemed.

Yamaki turned his gaze from Takato over to the Nonaka Tamer that sat beside him, one leg crossed over the top of the other, arms folded, and her eyes frowning slightly at his back. From the way she was looking right now, Yamaki felt as though he had reason to be wary of the red haired Tamer's presence. Her eyes looked to be warning him against doing anything that might hurt the boy that sat next to her.

Yamaki fought back the urge to flick the invisible lighter open again. As if he would do anything to harm Takato, but the safety of Shinjuku, and indeed the world, came first and he still had to determine what danger the new Guilmon posed. Yamaki didn't like unknowns like this. They tended to complicate situations and right now they could do without complications.

A flash of light burst in the sky above the city that lay out before him, and Yamaki gave a light gasp at it. For an instant, a brief instant, he thought that he saw an angelic figure flying in the storm…

The door leading to the office opened and in walked Gorou _Shibumi_ Mizuno.

"Yamaki," began the red-bearded man as he entered the room, not looking up from a sheet of paper that he had in his hand. "I think that I've found a way to calibrate the Juggernaut program to collect any free floating data around Shinjuku and store it in a…"

The _Monster Maker_ known as _Shibumi_ to his friends and fellow creators of the digital life forms known as digimon looked up and realized that the head of Hypnos had company. Shibumi raised an eyebrow first at Rika and Takato (who were likewise imitating his expression of confusion) and then turned it towards Yamaki, who simply shook his head. Shibumi got the picture.

_Not now,_ the man thought before turning towards Takato and Rika, smiling at both of them. Rika just looked nonchalantly at the Monster Maker while Takato, much to Mizuno's disappointment and shock, simply turned his face down as though he were ashamed of something. Once again, Shibumi raised an eyebrow. He might have guessed that Takato wouldn't respond in a positive manner to seeing him again (as he normally did every time that they met), given that Takato had lost his partner recently, and pain such as that was not something that could be easily shrugged off, but this time there seemed to be something else going on with the boy.

Shibumi turned to look at Yamaki, wondering if Takato's and Rika's being here had something to do with the boy's current state.

This time Yamaki nodded, as though reading his thoughts before turning to the Tamers.

"I need to discuss some things with Mr. Mizuno before I can talk with you two about your situation," Shibumi again cocked an eyebrow, but at least now he knew that his theory had been proven right. Now he had to know what it was that had brought them here. "If you would be so kind as to wait until we are done…"

"Wait a minute," growled Rika as her eyes narrowed dangerously. Yamaki sighed.

"Rika," began Yamaki in a tone that almost sounded tired. "Believe me, I have no desire to plan anything without your knowledge. I just need Shibumi's input on this and put a few pieces together before we can even begin to make a decision. And Takato's already been through quite a lot, so he'll need to rest before we get in touch with the other Tamers.

Takato seemed to perk up at this point. Not wanting to be left out of anything that might concern the digimon that he had created he spoke up.

"But Yamaki…"

"Not now, Takato. I'll be sure to contact both of you when we're done here. For now, like I said, try to get some rest in. We may need you to be at your full strength for whatever it is that we may have to do."

Takato paused as conflicting decisions clashed in his mind. On one hand he wanted to be doing something now for _Guilmon_ , but on the other hand he knew that he was pretty much out of his league at the moment. Still, Yamaki had said that they still might need his help for later in whatever undertaking that they might have planned after Yamaki was done bringing Shibumi up to speed, so with the knowledge that he wasn't going to be cut out of the loop he should at least try to relax a little bit, as best as he could given the circumstances. And if the others were going to be here, he was going to have to think what he was going to say to them. He wondered what their reaction would be. If he were to use Rika's reaction as a template for a guess, as well as their bond as Tamers and friends, they might understand. But then, Rika just hadn't had a chance to really rip into him since finding him at the construction site, in which case…

Takato shook his head mentally. No excuses, no worries. Whatever happened happened, and he deserved whatever happened to him. He just hoped that he could stand strong when he needed to be.

Takato nodded finally and Yamaki pressed a button on his desks phone.

"Riley. Could you send an agent over to my office to escort the Tamers Rika and Takato down to the messhall? And let the chef know that he's to have something ready for them to eat when they get there."

_"Since when did you count as the boss's secretary?"_ Spoke up a voice on the other end, causing Yamaki to raise an eyebrow.

_"Tally…"_

* * *

Lucemon hovered in the air for a moment, his eyes closed and his form being illuminated by the power that he was sending out, searching for any traces of the Great Dragon of the Hazard. After a moment the light around him died down and Lucemon opened his ice-blue eyes, and he frowned in irritation. He had found no sign of the Great Beast in his search, both visual or with his other senses. He knew that the monster hadn't been destroyed, as the pulse of the hazard symbol on his left hand assured him of that fact, but it seemed that the creature had found some way to stay low and avoid being detected. How it was that that was possible, Lucemon didn't know, but he couldn't afford to dally for much longer. The Tamers were still out there, and if they should find him before he found the Great Beast, and still slightly weakened by his injuries from his battles with the children, they could delete him. And if the Great Beast was still out there when that happened…

If Lucemon were a lesser digimon, he may very well have shuddered at the thought.

_I should try a different approach,_ thought Lucemon. _I don't believe that I can find the Great Beast easily, especially seeing as how it's managed to avoid being detected so far. If I had more time, and more power, then I'd be able to do so and extinguish its digital core once and for all, for if I can't, as long as that creature exists the digital world will remain in danger. And I can't allow that._

As these thoughts went through Lucemon's mind, his eyes looked out upon the city, and once more he extended his senses out into it, searching for some sign of the monster that had eluded him. What he got came as a complete surprise, but as he processed what he had discovered a cold smile curved on his face as a thought occurred to him.

Perhaps he could get his pursuers to do the job of searching for him.

* * *

Ryo Akiyama turned a corner and checked his D-Arc before nodding in satisfaction. He was still on Lucemon's trail and the angel digimon was still in range. Though this was good, the Legendary Tamer had to wonder as to why Lucemon remained in his D-Arc's detection range for so long. While he didn't think that Lucemon believed that he was being followed (though even that possibility was held firmly in his mind, as Ryo didn't want to be taken off guard by anything unexpected, especially since he didn't have Cyberdramon with him) he did find it a little bit odd that he had kept Lucemon on his D-Arc's scanner for so long, in spite of the size of the city and Lucemon's advantage of flight. That and the fact that Lucemon's course had been aiming towards Shinjuku Park without change for the past few minutes, after a brief pause…

Ryo's instincts told him that something was up. Sure, the park was a good place to hold up for a digimon when they wanted a place to hide that was away from humans, and Shinjuku Park being the nearest place that resembled the digital world it did stand to reason that Lucemon would head there. But… Lucemon was an angel, and from the few occasions that Ryo had seen Lucemon he had assessed that Lucemon wouldn't act like your average digimon, that would either run and hide or attack for no apparent reason. That was one reason why he didn't believe that Takato had told the full truth about why Lucemon had fought him. There was just something about his eyes, the way that the angel looked…

It was the way someone looked when they were on a mission of vast importance.

Ryo approached the outcropping of trees that signaled the beginning of the wild jungle that was Shinjuku Park and cautiously entered it, keeping his eyes on the signal that continued to head deeper into the Park's interior, and his senses tuned to his surroundings, listening for any noise that might indicate that Lucemon had found a way to fool his digivice's detection capabilities. As Ryo advanced, he took note of the fact that the signal had stopped moving, and Ryo paused and took a look at his surroundings. No movement, and no sounds. The park was deathly quiet. Deciding that he should continue, Ryo once again began to move forward, this time taking even greater care to be aware of his surroundings and remain as quiet as he could. He didn't think that he'd be able to escape Lucemon's senses, but he was determined to try. All that time that he had spent in the digital world prior to D-Reaper, his experiences with Milleniummon… he had learned a few tricks when it came to dealing with digimon, and stealth was one of them.

You don't survive as long as he did in the digital world without learning something like that.

Ryo came to a stop behind a tree that was blocked by a large group of bushes that gave him clear visibility of a children's playground, while at the same time obscuring anyone else's view of his position. Standing at the apex of a merry-go-round was the familiar, twelve winged angelic Lucemon. Despite his child-like appearance, Ryo felt some measure of apprehension at the digimon's presence. Lucemon practically radiated power, and Ryo knew that Lucemon could destroy him without a moment's hesitation or even any effort on his part. Ryo was starting to think that following Lucemon was a bad idea. The place, the set-up… it was now clear to the Legendary Tamer that Lucemon had lead him here because he knew that he was following him. Unless that is the playground was a prearranged meeting place with another digimon (which Ryo hoped wasn't the case), but the way things looked, his first guess looked to be the closest.

_Well, I'm here now,_ thought Ryo. _So where do I go from here? I mean, I planned to follow Lucemon and relay his position to Yamaki or one of the other Tamers, but we're not close enough to a payphone for me to do that without being detected, especially since there's no guarantee that he'll even stay in the same place. And I'm not so sure that talking with him would be a very good idea now either. I guess that I already knew that too, but I had hoped that there would be another way to do this. Some way that doesn't involve wrecking half the city like these fights usually go._

As Ryo pondered his next course of action, Lucemon turned his head in his direction, and Ryo froze in his spot, wondering if Lucemon had spotted him. He soon got his answer.

"I know that you're out there Tamer," Lucemon called. "I can sense you. You and your human blood. You have the touch of the Sovereigns about you as well, not quite what I expected from you or the other humans, but it lies especially strong within you for some reason. I wonder if it has anything to do with all those rumors about a _Legendary Tamer_ that I heard was roaming the digital world."

Lucemon paused, as though waiting for Ryo to reveal himself, but the Legendary Tamer didn't take the bait. Lucemon gave a cold smile.

"Well, I can see that you're busy. It's wise of you to not show yourself to me, so perhaps there is something to you about those rumors after all. Not that it matters though. As I said, I know where you are, but I don't care about you. I only care about one thing right now, and that's to find the Great Beast. It's in this world right now, and as long as it's out there it represents a danger to everything that lives. I thought that I had destroyed it when I first arrived here…"

That caught Ryo's attention.

_Great Beast? Wha…? 'Destroyed it when he first got here'?_ Ryo frowned as he went over his memory of Lucemon's recent public appearances. _Does he mean his battle with Takato and Guilmon?_

Lucemon continued.

"… But somehow the Dragon was reborn. I can sense it." Lucemon raised his left hand, revealing the familiar hazard symbol that was imprinted on it. Ryo's eyes widened in surprise as the meaning of the gesture struck home for him. "You could say that I have an _affinity_ for creatures like him."

"I don't know for certain whether or not you know of the Great Dragon digimon known as _Megidramon_ , the bearer of the digital hazard, but whether you are or aren't, you've been duped, and the monster's been let loose once again. I cannot allow that kind of danger to continue to threaten my home. All I ask of you is to stay out of my way while I deal with this _problem_. Once I'm done, I can return to the digital world and leave you none the worse for wear. Now that you've heard my side of the story, I shall leave. But know this; if you or any of the other Tamers and their _pet digimon_ try to stop me from carrying out my mission, I won't hesitate to destroy them. When next you see them again, tell them what I've told you, and give them my warning. I won't give one again."

With that said, Lucemon beat his wings and took off into the sky. Ryo watched him go for a few seconds as he took in what Lucemon had told him. He looked down at his D-Arc and called up the scanning program, and grimaced as he realized that Lucemon's speed was accelerating. He'd be out of sensor range in no time. With that knowledge settling in his mind, the Legendary Tamer turned to the new matter at hand.

_Megidramon… Great Dragon digimon… bearer of the digital hazard…_

A flash of the hazard symbol that had been plastered on Guilmon's chest and that of all his digivolved forms, twin to the one that he had seen on Lucemon's left hand, went through Ryo's mind and he turned to look at the twin towers of the Hypnos agency. With a sad shake of his head, Ryo Akiyama pocketed his D-Arc and, after taking one last look in the direction of Lucemon's retreating form, began to head in the direction of Hypnos.

_Takato…_ thought Ryo sadly. _Why didn't you tell us?_

* * *

Shibumi rubbed his chin thoughtfully as Yamaki finished telling what the Takato had relayed to him.

"So that's the situation," said the head of Hypnos finally. "And while I'm in favor of capturing the new digimon, I'm not entirely sure what to do about it. I need your advice on how to best approach this. Normally I would ask Janyu, but you know more about the digital world and the partner system then he does, so I need to know what thoughts you have on this, if any."

Shibumi took a moment to think about it, before sighing.

"In all honesty, I'm not all to sure myself. Takato _created_ Guilmon. Both of them, so their situations are, shall we say, _unique_. Essentially, they're both a part of him, so that means that they're both the same Guilmon, only with altered attributes and personalities, probably depending on the emotional state that Takato was in when he scanned the drawings both times. That's probably the only reason why the D-Arc allowed him to have a second partner to begin with. After all, the second Guilmon counts as the first…"

"Are you saying that the Tamers digivices have a _one-partner_ limit to them?" Asked Yamaki.

Shibumi shrugged.

"I don't know for certain. We've only begun to have humans and digimon working together and coexisting together. The Arcs, the _digivice,_ serves as a link. It's meant to store, control, and manipulate data to a vast degree, as well as to bring like pairs together. I don't know for certain the full extent of its capabilities, though my knowledge is pretty extensive, I've never seen a situation where a human partner could have multiple digimon partners so maybe there isn't a one-partner limit."

"So does that mean that Jeri Katou stands a chance of becoming a Tamer again?" Prompted Yamaki. Shibumi shrugged his shoulders again. This time he looked uncomfortable with bringing up the Katou Tamer, due to her loss, but nonetheless felt the need to discuss it, if only to explain his theories on the matter.

"Perhaps. But it might have more to do with the _wish factor_ that goes hand and hand with the digivices and the digi-gnomes that create them. Maybe because of the trauma that Jeri experienced when her partner was destroyed in the land of the Sovereigns prevents her from becoming a Tamer again. Think of it like a handicap to wishing. Death is rather final, and is a harsh reality in this world. For digimon, death is a complicated matter. Depending on the circumstances it might be final or even temporary, but we don't know for certain, especially if the digimon is destroyed in the real world."

"And why's that?" Asked Yamaki.

"How often do we see digimon being reborn in the real world?"

"Are you saying that can happen?"

"Well… not without outside assistance, or at least a great amount of control over their digital makeup. Provided, of course, that their data hasn't already been downloaded…"

"I see. Is that the reasons why your working on modifying the Juggernaut program for collecting data?"

"Wasn't that its original design? To act as a digital vacuum cleaner? Sucking up data? I'm only modifying it to…"

"I'm well aware of that," said Yamaki curtly. "I'm still not certain as to whether or not it will work. And I'm wondering as to whether or not what Takato has done will alter your plan."

Shibumi smiled at Yamaki.

"It might make things easier."

Yamaki raised an eyebrow at that.

"Are you certain?"

"Well, I'd need to make the necessary tests and scans to make sure, but I believe so…"

Yamaki nodded.

"Capture it is then, though I doubt that we'll be ready for that until tomorrow. No doubt the Tamers will try to make a go at it first, and if they do and succeed, then it's all for the better."

Shibumi nodded.

"I'll see about getting things on my end ready."

"You do that. I'll see if I can't get in contact with the other Tamers and have them get here after school. In the mean time, I'll let Takato and Rika finish having their break before calling them in and letting them know what the plan is."

Shibumi nodded.

"From the way Takato looked, and what he's been through, that might be a good idea."

Yamaki couldn't agree more.


	19. Hazard's Sin: Part 3

Takato sat at a table in the Hypnos mess hall, his thoughts drifting over the events that had brought him to this point when a lunch tray was placed in front of him. Blinking in surprise, Takato looked up to see Rika, with her own tray of food, pull back a chair and set herself down in front of him, already raising her chopsticks to dig in.

"Rika," began Takato, somewhat surprised by what had just happened. "Wha…?"

Rika looked up at him, her face expressionless.

"It's called _food_ Takato. Remember? As I recall, you eat it."

Takato blanched but held his ground.

"I know that, but… I thought I said that I wasn't going to get anything to eat…"

"I know," said Rika, her eyes frowning. "That's why I went up and got it for you, because I knew that you'd be wallowing in too much self-pity to bother trying to keep your energy up."

Takato lowered his eyes in shame. He really didn't know what to say to that. The way that he was feeling right now…

"I guess…"

Rika sighed mentally and closed her eyes, trying to find a way to properly approach this. Takato _had_ been through a lot this past week, granted, but she didn't much like watching him come apart like this. Before he may have been awkward, and even intimidated by certain things (like herself for example), but he never shrank from them. _Just where had his brain and heart gone_? Rika wondered not for the first time, even though she already knew full well what the answer was. The loss of Guilmon was where the problem lay, and until he moved past that and found something else to strive for, Takato was basically a compass that couldn't point north.

But how to get him to do that was another matter all together.

 _This is something that Jeri and Henry are better suited for,_ thought Rika. _They would know what to say and how to handle this. And if Takato weren't the way he was right now he'd know_ exactly _what to say, even if he couldn't always say it right. I mean, I tried to help Jeri after she lost Leomon but… What am I talking about? Takato's my friend, and I should do what I can to help him. Even if I don't think that I'm exactly qualified…_

"Look Gogglehead," said Rika as she reached over and covered the boy's hand with her own, causing Takato to blink in surprise. Rika herself was rather uncomfortable with the gesture, but she pressed on anyway. If she was to get through to Takato she couldn't afford to hold back just because of her own discomfort. Her friendship with Takato demanded that she do no less for him. "We'll help you get through this, and deal with that other Guilmon as well. Sure, the others are going to be a bit surprised, and maybe angry, but we've all been through too much to just turn our backs on you when you need us. We didn't turn away from Jeri just because her emotions caused D-Reaper to try and destroy us all, the real world included, and we didn't turn away from Beelzemon because of what he did to us. Sure, we didn't trust him for a while but we did eventually, and he hasn't let us down since. Why should you be any different?"

Takato's eyes looked up at Rika.

"So… you're not mad or anything?"

"We've got more important things to worry about right now. I'll be mad at you later."

Rika smirked at him, letting him know that she was joking, but Takato's eyes once more became downcast. Apparently the joke wasn't in good taste and Rika's smirk quickly disappeared. Still, her pep talk had an affect on Takato, and the boy picked up the chopsticks on the lunch tray and began to eat. Rika gave a small, brief smile at this, accompanied by another soft squeeze of Takato's hand before she went back to her own meal. The two ate in silence, their minds occupied with questions and worries. For now though, they had a small amount of peace to prepare themselves for the time ahead.

* * *

Henry Wong, Kazu Shioda, and Kenta Kitagawa, accompanied by Terriermon, Guardromon, and MarineAngemon, closed in on the Hypnos building. It wouldn't be much longer before they arrived. Cyberdramon had left them shortly after Renamon had made her appearance and told them that Rika and Takato were at Hypnos, supposedly off to his partner's school to wait for him (when Terriermon had asked the cybernetic dragon where he was going, all he got for an answer was a gruff _"Too find Ryo"_ ) and while Henry had expressed some concern over the Ultimate's going off on his own, due to his rather volatile temperment, there was little that he could do about it. At the very least, Cyberdramon didn't cause havoc in the real world (unless he was involved in a battle with another digimon) and did his best to not wreck too much damage while he was around for his partner's sake. It was obvious to all three Tamers and digimon that, as long as Cyberdramon was in Ultimate form, he had little patience, patience that could be strained during the sometimes long intervals when digimon didn't enter the real world (during which Ryo's appearances around the other Tamers were few, unless Cyberdramon had regressed back to his Rookie form, out of the desire to keep the other Tamer's digimon safe from his partner's temper). Having blown off some steam during the past week, Henry could say, though not without any amount of caution, that Cyberdramon would be okay while he was away. Not that he liked the idea, but Ryo had to know about this and be brought up to speed, if he didn't know about the situation already.

Henry raised his eyes at the twin towers of the Hypnos buildings, trying to ignore the sense of anxiety that he felt growing in his heart. Anxiety over why it was that Takato and Rika were at Hypnos. Especially Takato. Not that he wouldn't be glad to see his friend it was just that he didn't expect to see him at Hypnos. Kenta continued to hold onto the belief that Yamaki or one of the Monster Makers had found a way to bring Guilmon back to life, but Henry wasn't as certain as his bespectacled friend was. _False hope_ he saw it as. Jeri had lost Leomon and he didn't see Hypnos finding a way to bring back the great lion warrior. Of course, Leomon had been destroyed and absorbed by Beelzemon while in the digital world, whereas Guilmon was destroyed in the real world. However, his data hadn't been loaded so that might mean that they stood a chance…

But Henry doubted that was the case.

 _Or maybe I don't want to,_ thought Henry. _I would like to think that Hypnos and my Dad have found a way to bring back Guilmon, but…_ Henry sighed. _I wish that I had more answers. There's just too much going on right now. Lucemon's back in the real world and we don't know why._

Henry's gaze settled on Hypnos as a thought occurred to him.

_If Takato's at Hypnos… and Lucemon's in the real world… I wonder… is that too much of a coincidence?_

Another thought, one that Henry didn't like, came to him.

Was _there a reason why Lucemon came here and destroyed Guilmon? Did Takato not tell us what that reason was?_

A memory from the battle with Lucemon came to mind. He hadn't been paying close attention at the time because of the shock of seeing Guilmon turn into free floating data, but he had a good mind for what was going on in his surroundings. With that in mind, Henry drifted back to when it all started...

* * *

_Gallantmon's noble form had vanished, shards of data floating away from the scene of battle as Takato fell unceremoniously to the ground. Undeterred, Takato was already climbing to his feet, hand reaching out towards the data shards, tears streaming down his cheeks as he did so. Sakuyamon, who had landed next to him, had grabbed hold of him and was trying to pull him back and keep him out of harms way. Henry and the others were already rushing forwards, their focus intent on Takato's well being…_

_And through it all was Lucemon's voice as he rose in the air, calm, serene, speaking as though he had done his duty, not caring in the least what he had just taken away._

_"And so ends the Beast of the Hazard…"_

* * *

_Megidramon…_ thought Henry as he held one arm in the other while the arm that was being held reached up and rubbed his chin thoughtfully. _That's gotta be the reason. Megidramon had a Hazard sign on his chest, and when he appeared and fought Beelzemon he tapped into the strength of the Digital Hazard and nearly destroyed the entire digital world. The games always depicted the Hazard as being a powerful force capable of doing something like that, though not much is mentioned as to what it is exactly. If a digimon such as Megidramon was able to access it at will, and it caught the attention of a powerful digimon like Lucemon… well, we_ did _battle outside of Zhuqiaomon's fortress, so I guess that's no surprise that someone noticed. And Lucemon… in the card game he was depicted as being an angel digimon that was enslaved by the digimon GranDracmon, and eventually became a Demon Lord. Before that he was a guardian of the digital world. Maybe…_ Henry frowned as he thought it over. _Maybe he thought that Guilmon had been too dangerous and powerful when he digivolved into Megidramon, regardless of what happened afterwards._

Suddenly Henry could see why Takato chose to not discuss it with anyone. The reason was simple, and it lay in the reason why Megidramon had appeared in the first place.

 _Jeri and Impmon…_ thought Henry. _He couldn't tell them what happened, or why. They'd both end up feeling responsible for Guilmon's death, and he couldn't do that to them. As much as I don't like Takato holding back on us even when we're all supposed to be there for each other, I can understand his reasoning. Those two… Jeri and Impmon… he wouldn't want them to feel guilty over what happened. He cares for them and values their friendship too much to put any weight on them._

_Terriermon always did say that Takato had too big of a heart…_

"Hey, Henry," spoke up Terriermon from his spot on Henry's shoulder. "What's going on? You've been awfully quiet lately."

"I'm just thinking," said the half-Chinese Tamer.

"Well don't think too hard there, Henry," chided the rabbit-dog digimon. "I don't want to suddenly have smoke coming out of your ears while I'm here on your shoulder you know."

Terriermon paused for a moment.

"Just out of curiosity, what are you thinking about? Are you worried about why Takato and Rika are down at Hypnos?"

Henry was aware that the others were now focusing their attention on him.

"Well, you have to admit that it is strange that Renamon told us that they were there. Rika's supposed to still be at school…"

"So are you and the _dimwit duo_ ," reminded Terriermon.

"Do we really need a digital equivalent of Rika here?" spoke up Kazu irritably.

"I'm just filling in for her," said Terriermon. "If she were here, she'd have said the exact same thing."

Kazu was silent for a moment.

"Can't argue with you there…" the visor wearing boy finally said before Kenta coughed and Henry returned to the original conversation.

"I know that we're supposed to be at school, and that our Tamer duties let us get out early every now and then, but I doubt that Rika would have as a easy time getting out as we do given the school that she goes to…"

"I'd hardly call getting past Ms. Asagi _easy_ ," snorted Kazu, but everyone ignored him.

"… And aside from what Kenta said earlier I don't see why Takato would be there either. I'm starting to wonder if there's more going on here aside from Lucemon being back."

"I'm not sure what you're getting at…" began Terriermon, a little confused now.

"Think about it. The signal that our digivices were picking up… I don't know about the rest of you but I'm _positive_ that it was a lot farther then where Cyberdramon and Lucemon were fighting. True, Lucemon can fly…"

"Why don't we save the question and answer survey for when we get into Hypnos?" Pointed out Kazu, indicating with a raised hand that they were approaching the entrance to the twin towers.

Henry nodded, agreeing with the visor-wearing Tamer.

"You know," said Terriermon, his voice solemn but containing a hint of sarcasm in it. "That's probably the smartest thing that I've ever heard Kazu say…"

"Hmmmnnn… _Terriermon…"_

Henry raised an eyebrow at Kazu, mimicking the expression on his partner's face.

"Hey! That's Henry's line!"

"Terriermon…" began Henry warningly. The dog-bunny giggled.

"See?"

The Tamers and digimon approached the doors to Hypnos and entered them, determined to get some answers to their questions.

* * *

Ryo had been walking through the streets, aiming for Hypnos when the familiar sight of his partner, Cyberdramon, flew in and landed next to him.

"Cyberdramon!" Exclaimed Ryo, glad to see that his partner was all right. His partner's appearance had him make a mental note to thank Kenta and MarineAngemon for the pink fairies healing abilities.

Cyberdramon growled in the back of his throat and nodded his head at the Legendary Tamer.

"Ryo… I'm sure that you're aware that Lucemon is here, in the real world."

Ryo nodded at the cybernetic Ultimate.

"Yeah. I've even seen Lucemon. Cyberdramon… he's said some things… things that I'm sure are related to Takato and Guilmon, and why he's here. As much as I hate to admit it, Takato may have been holding back on us. Something involving a digimon called _Megidramon_."

Cyberdramon growled as he processed this information.

"What do you intend to do about it?" Asked the cyborg dragon digimon.

Ryo sighed and lowered his eyes. The expression on his face was that of a person considering making a decision that might have repercussions, whether or not it was for good or ill. He didn't know how to approach this precisely, and he didn't want to say or do anything that would cause the others to lose their trust in Takato until he knew a little bit more about the situation. If Takato had held back important information from the others, then he did so for very good reasons. The goggle-headed Tamer had struck him as the sort of person who would normally not hold back from the others, especially his friends, unless it was extremely important or he felt that sharing would only cause them pain. Pain that he felt would be better being shouldered only by himself.

 _The kid's got a big heart,_ thought Ryo as he remembered his first encounter with the boy who was the _unofficial_ leader of the Tamers. _Maybe too big, but he cares a lot about others. I got that right away. This must be pretty bad if he doesn't want to share this problem with anyone else._

The name Megidramon, in Ryo's mind, was apparently a good enough reason. Though he knew nothing about the digimon, it stood to reason that it was associated with Takato and the Digital Hazard, the very symbol that was imprinted on Lucemon's left hand and on Guilmon's stomach. Ryo wondered if Takato and Megidramon were in any way similar to what Ryo experienced with the god-digimon, Milleniummon.

 _There's only one way to find out,_ thought Ryo as he climbed up onto his partner's shoulder, ignoring the stares of passers-by. With a grunt, the cyborg digimon known as Cyberdramon, once again united with his human partner, leapt into the air, his tattered wings spreading wide as they soared towards Hypnos.

* * *

Henry, Kazu, Kenta, Terriermon, and MarineAngemon waited in the Hypnos meeting room (minus the presence of Guardromon, since he was a little too big and bulky to easily fit in certain areas of Hypnos). No sooner then they had shown up then they were ushered into an elevator and escorted to the meeting room where they now waited, ensured by agents that Yamaki would arrive shortly. Henry looked at his two friends, gauging their expressions for any sign of anxiety or impatience. He wasn't too surprised to find those emotions dancing behind their eyes. Henry imagined that he must look the same as they were. He certainly _felt_ it.

"So…" began Terriermon in an attempt to break the silence. "Anyone know any good jokes?"

"Did you hear the one about the chicken?" Asked Kenta tentatively. Terriermon groaned, already regretting having asked the question.

 _Should have let sleeping dragons lie, Terriermon,_ thought Henry with a small amount of amusement.

* * *

Yamaki strode through the halls with Rika and Takato, flanked by two agents, with Renamon by Rika's side. The vulpine had appeared shortly after Yamaki's agents had shown up to let the two Tamers know that Yamaki had _requested_ their presence and they were off, finding Yamaki waiting for them in an elevator. Takato was a little nervous about whatever it was that Yamaki wanted to see them for, no doubt it entailed some plan involving the new Guilmon, but Takato's mood had improved since first stepping into Hypnos's hallways, and he was determined to make up for his mistakes in whatever way that he possibly could, come whatever may.

As Yamaki opened a door to what looked like a meeting room, Takato's newfound courage nearly shattered as he saw his other friends, Henry, Kazu, and Kenta in there waiting. No doubt that they were there to hear what he had told Yamaki earlier, though how they had gotten out of school was still a question. Well… Rika had shown up to the construction site so… Takato could almost smack himself in the head as the obvious suddenly became obvious to him. The new Guilmon's arrival would have alerted them to its bio-emergence, so of course they would have found a way to leave school to deal with what would have turned out to be a dangerous digimon. Takato had only a brief moment to wonder if he was ready for this before realizing that ready or not, he was going to have to tell them anyway.

Takato swallowed nervously as he, Rika, and Renamon took their seats. Takato was painfully aware of the others staring at him, wondering why he was here.

"Thank you all for coming on such short notice…" began Yamaki.

* * *


	20. That Which Lies Closest to the Heart…

Mei Matsuki stood in the doorway and looked out at the streets as the rain continued to pour down. It was just starting to taper off now, for which she was grateful, but not quite enough in her mind. Rubbing her arms anxiously Mei turned and went back inside, an audible sigh escaping the lips of the mother of now former Digimon Tamer known as Takato Matsuki.

It was thoughts on her son that held Mei's focus right now, just as it had these past few days.

Takahiro brushed aside a curtain that served as a doorway into the kitchen of their home and bakery business and poked his head out, raising a questioning eyebrow at his wife.

"He still not back yet, huh?" Takahiro asked, and Mei shook her head in resignation. Takahiro offered her a rueful smile and walked up to Mei and pulled her into a comforting hug.

"I'm sure that he's okay. He's just got a lot on his mind right now…"

Mei made a choking sound as she buried her face into her husband's chest.

"Except I don't think that he _is_ okay, Takahiro, and you know it just as well as I do! He's hurting on the inside and he won't talk about it with us or his friends!"

Takahiro rubbed Mei's back soothingly, kissing the top of her head gently before his gaze wandered over to the display stands and containers that held the bread that they sold to the public, including the one item that had given them something of a reputation in Shinjuku. The cinnamon flavored, dinosaur shaped bread that customers had come to enjoy so much. The one that Takato had insisted that they keep making, in order to honor the memory of his friend.

_Guilmon bread._

Takahiro sighed and ran one hand through Mei's hair.

"I know," he said after a moment. "But that's to be expected. You know just as well as I do that losing someone as close to you as Guilmon and Takato were… it's not an easy thing to talk about…"

"I know," said Mei, sniffing slightly as she tried to pull herself together. "It's just… oh, I don't know. A lot of things I suppose. You know how I worry about him sometimes…"

Takahiro smiled.

"Sometimes?"

Mei continued on as though she hadn't heard him.

"… But now… I would have expected him to be home by now when the storm hit. It's been too long since he left and I'm starting to… to think that…"

Mei pulled away from Takahiro and looked into his eyes, tears brimming in her own as she tried to hold back the roiling emotions that threatened to overwhelm her. Takahiro smiled gently, warmly at his wife before raising one hand to her face and wiping gently at the corner of one eye. As though the gesture carried within it hidden permission, tears spilled forth. Despite the water works Mei didn't break down. Instead she just stood there, looking into the eyes of her husband, her face almost pleading with him to find some way to make things better, even though the task appeared impossible at the moment.

"Tell you what," said Takahiro. "Since business seems to be rather slow today why don't I go looking for him? He's probably down at the park and has taken shelter in Guilmon's old den in order to wait out the storm. I'll go down there and see if he's okay, and then if he wants to bring him back home."

Mei once more looked uncomfortable.

"Are you sure? Even though I worry about him sometimes I don't want to give him the impression that we don't trust…"

"Except that we do," Takahiro interrupted. "And he knows that. Just like he knows that we're worried about him and want to help him get through this. Sometimes it can be enough to know that people care."

After a moment Mei nodded and, after sniffing once more, managed a smile for her husband.

"Let me get you an umbrella."

"Sure."

* * *

Shortly afterwards, Takahiro found himself walking through the park, the umbrella that Mei had given him holding off the last vestiges of rain as he looked around and breathed in the fresh, cool air that came with the storm. All around him, birds began chirping as the sun began to peak out from behind the remaining clouds that still left the city in shadows, giving Takahiro the sense that a rebirth was at hand.

_I sure hope that Takato's okay,_ thought the elder Matsuki as he strode down the path. _I know that this has been…_ difficult _for him. Heck, it would be difficult for anyone to just accept, especially considering what he and Guilmon had both been through. And Takato_ created _Guilmon, making him every bit a part of Takato, never mind the fact that they have merged together in order to defend this city from D-Reaper and the Parasimon. It makes me proud whenever I think about the things that he's done… makes me wish sometimes that I had been able to have the same experiences._

_He's done so much with his life in so short a time… I just hope that he doesn't let it go to waste, and that he doesn't forget that there are people who love and care for him that are there for him._

Takahiro traced his way to the familiar stairwell that led to the shack that had served as Guilmon's home during his first year in the real world and slowly began to climb them, not hurrying but taking his time, carefully looking around for any sign of his wayward son.

He thought that he saw something shift in the shadows of the sheds entrance.

"Hey!" Takahiro called out, cupping one hand around his mouth to make sure that he was heard. "Takato! Is that you in there?"

The shadows shifted again but no reply was made. Not to be deterred, Takahiro quickened his pace so as to get to the concrete shed's entrance quicker and see what was up.

* * *

_"Bada Boom!"_

A crimson fireball burst on the face of a statue, darkening the stone carving from the heat and flames. Below it, a small, imp-like creature with red gloves and a red bandana wrapped around its neck scowled at the icon before folding its arms, turning and giving an irritated _hmmph_. Looking up at the sky, the diminutive digimon known as Impmon glared, his expression a portrait of barely restrained fury. Snorting slightly Impmon turned to look back at the statue that he had just vandalized. It just stared blankly at him, without emotion. But then, who would expect anything of the sort from something that wasn't even alive?

Apparently Impmon did.

"Yeah? What? What're you lookin' at?" Impmon demanded, glaring icily at the statue once again, as though that were enough to make the offending object move. At the very least, a visible twitch would have gone a long ways towards making Impmon feel better about himself.

Clenching his gloved hands tightly, Impmon scowled and turned away, feeling somewhat foolish of himself for attacking and arguing with a statue. The only comfort that he could take from the inanimate object was that it always listened to what he had to say and didn't care what he did to it, just like it put up with all the pigeons that regularly roosted on it. Of course, the fact that it wasn't alive meant that it never listened to him or put up with the pigeons to begin with, but it was still rather comforting to have something that he could vent his frustrations on without actually hurting anything. He had learned a long time ago that doing things of that sort towards actual living creatures led to some rather unforeseen problems; problems that he still felt the fallout from, even though he had been forgiven for his misdeeds. That was not what he was here for though, the past that is. At least not his own past, though it was still caught up in what haunted him, there was no getting around that.

The image of a crimson colored dinosaur filled his mind and Impmon clenched his eyes shut, as though that could shut out the feelings of regret that came with it. Opening his eyes once more, Impmon looked down at his gloved hands, as though pondering them, _seeing_ them as though for the first time.

_I just don't get it,_ thought Impmon. _Why would someone like Lucemon destroy Guilmon? That Pineapple Head never did anything to deserve that kind of thing happening to 'em. And how did Lucemon pull it off anyway? I mean… back when I worked for the Sovereign even_ _ **I**_ _couldn't take him down and I was a lean, mean, fightin' machine. Heck, he even took apart D-Reaper while I got sliced to ribbons…_

Impmon looked up at the sky again, his eyes brimming with tears that he had been holding within all the time since Renamon had shown up at his home with his Tamers, Ai and Mako, and gave him the news. He had seen Takato shortly afterwards, offering his support to the boy, and he had to admit, it killed him to see Guilmon's partner, Takato, the way he was. And it hurt even worse because the red dinosaur that he thought of as _Pineapple Head_ wasn't coming back. Those two would never romp around together again, despite all of their promises to the contrary. It just wasn't fair, and that was the main reason behind his anger. But what could he do about it?

Once more, whenever Impmon came across that particular question he clammed up. What _could_ he do about it?

Nothing.

Guilmon's face was replaced by the memory of Takato's, no longer smiling. Sad, and hollow, the boy's expression far too much like what he saw on the face of their mutual friend, Jeri Katou so long ago, and that too brought with it its own weight, all the guilt and shame to settle heavily on Impmon's shoulders. The day that he had killed Leomon was something that he still found difficult to fully accept or even talk about, especially with his Tamers. He liked to think that he had moved past it, though he knew that he would always carry the burden of his actions on his shoulders for as long as he existed. Seeing the pain on Takato's face from the loss of his own partner, the twin to Jeri's… it made him feel even worse. Too many bad memories, memories that he would sooner forget but knew that he couldn't no matter how hard he tried, and as a result he became closed off from his partners. Distant. Ai and Mako were worried about him, and they tried to entreat him to open up and talk to them about what he was feeling… but how could he? They were still young, _too_ young to fully grasp what he was going through, what Takato was going through, and why he felt so affected by it.

_I just wish that it had been me instead of Guilmon,_ thought Impmon bitterly. _He had a lot more to live for then I do, and he hadn't even been alive for that long either. It's just not fair._

Anger. That old emotion once more roared up from the very center of his being, but Impmon held it in check this time. Anger wouldn't do until he found a proper way to channel it. He needed something to focus on, and helping Takato seemed like the best way to do that. But again that question arose. What could he do about it? He couldn't bring back Guilmon. Something of that nature was _far_ beyond his capabilities, and perhaps beyond the strength of a Sovereign too. Besides, his overall talents lay more in beating the tar out of any wild digimon that happened to break through the barriers between the digital and real worlds, and that wouldn't be of any use to him in this situation. While in the digital world he had heard rumors of a digimon called _Anubismon_ that could supposedly bring back a dead digimon, but he was certain that would only apply to digimon that died in the digital world and didn't have their data loaded, so that wasn't much help either.

With a grunt of irritation Impmon bent his knees and prepared to take off when suddenly he felt something. What it was exactly he couldn't really tell, but he knew for a fact that it was the feeling that normally came whenever he sensed a digimon nearby. Looking around carefully, Impmon concentrated, trying to zero in on what he was sensing. It felt… it felt like it was coming from…

Narrowing his eyes, Impmon quickly turned around and leapt into the nearest tree, and immediately began to catapult himself through the park. Though he knew that he was going to be late getting home, having promised Ai and Mako that he'd be waiting for them when they got out of school, this demanded his attention. His Tamers would understand.

_Impmon had to go fight the bad guys,_ the twins would say solemnly, and would accept his explanation without complaint. They had an idea that what he did was important.

Impmon felt lucky to have two Tamers as great and as understanding as those two were.

* * *

The first thing that Takahiro noticed was the sound of heavy breathing, like something was sleeping in Guilmon's old den, and judging from the way it sounded, it wasn't human. It… Takahiro frowned. A digimon? That couldn't be ruled out that was for sure, especially since digimon regularly appeared in Shinjuku, sometimes to wreck havoc. Takahiro wondered as to whether or not he should retreat and let someone, anyone, the authorities maybe, know what was in the shed, but he didn't know for certain what was there. For all he knew it could have been Takato snoring abnormally loud…

But something in his gut told the man that that wasn't the case. And there was something else too… something about the way that the snoring sounded. It was… _familiar_. As much as Takahiro hated to admit it, perhaps because he was afraid of what it might entail, it sounded like _Guilmon_ was in the shed just like he had been in the old days before Takato introduced him to his family. But that couldn't be right. Guilmon was dead! Takahiro winced as he approached the entrance, slowing down and peering carefully into the entrance. He hated thinking of Guilmon as being dead, but there just wasn't any getting around it…

_What's that?_ Thought Takahiro as he spied a dark, reptilian form lying on the ground in the shed, partially hidden in the shed's shadows due to its dark color. His heart hammering in his chest, Takahiro approached cautiously. He had hoped that it was Takato, not in the sense that he somehow turned into a dark colored digimon (if what he was seeing was correct. It was so hard to tell in this lighting), but more that his eyes were playing tricks on him. Such wasn't the case however…

The last of Takahiro's footfalls echoed in the shed's interior as the man came to a halt, his heart beating excitedly as a drop of sweat rolled down the side of his face. He had only come face to face with the partner digimon of his son and his friends, and they had seemed calm and likeable enough (though Henry's Terriermon was certainly an unpredictable barrel of laughs), so the idea of meeting a _Wild One_ did not strike him as being the wisest thing to do. And with Takato still out there somewhere, and this _creature_ hanging out, _sleeping_ at his favorite place to go during the day… already Takahiro's mind was imagining all sorts of nightmarish situations…

_I've got to find Takato,_ thought Takahiro as he looked inside the shed. So far he didn't see any sign that Takato had even been there, with the exception of the bouquet of flowers and picture that he had left there the day that he and his friends had held a memorial for the digimon (though the flowers were now wilted and looked to have been chewed on, most likely by whatever digimon that now resided in Guilmon's old dwelling) but nothing else. Which was a good sign he supposed, unless this digimon had somehow _swallowed_ his son upon bio-emerging…

_Now might not be the good time to go thinking like that,_ thought Takahiro as he took a step backwards. He seriously considered calling someone. Maybe that man from Hypnos, Yamaki. He had given all the Tamer's parents a number to reach either him or someone at Hypnos in case something happened and they needed his help. Yeah, that sounded like a good idea. Best to get around to that then…

No sooner then had Takahiro taken another step back something, perhaps it was his scent or maybe the scuff of his shoes on the concrete stairs behind him, caused the digimon that had been sleeping in Guilmon's former home to open its eyes and look up. Takahiro froze as he looked into the cold, gold colored eyes that now stared out at him.

_Why do they look so familiar…?_ Takahiro faintly wondered as the creature got up, sniffing at the air tentatively before growling and walking over to edge of the shed's entrance. What Takahiro saw next left him completely shocked, and unable to move or even react to the creature's presence.

Emblazoned on the reptilian's white chest was a familiar hazard symbol that he had seen so many other times in the past. Decorating its body were familiar stripes and symbols, though the colors, just like that of its scales, were reversed from what Takahiro remembered them to be. What they _should_ be. And on top of its head, above those gold colored eyes that looked out at him, eyes that seemed so familiar despite their coldness, were a pair of bat wing-like ears, twitching slightly as it listened for any other movement. Deep in Takahiro's heart, the man felt as though there was something wrong here, and all his instincts screamed at him to run, but he mostly ignored them, because in his heart also lay the hope that all the problems, all the pain that his son had been enduring of late, were now solved.

After what felt like a panic and wonder filled eternity, Takahiro managed to say something, his voice cracking as he did so. And who could blame him really? It wasn't everyday that something like this happened.

"G-G-Guilmon…?"

* * *

Impmon hurled himself into the air. He was closing in on the source of the disturbance. Whatever it was, he was going to deal with it as quickly and hopefully as painlessly as possible. If the digimon weren't dangerous then he would leave it alone. Or maybe engage it in conversation and find a way to return it safely to the digital world. If it turned out to be otherwise… well, things would still end quickly, if not a little messily. Tough break, but that's how things went this side of the firewall…

Impmon's eyes widened as the shed came into view. Standing in front of it was a man that was all too familiar to him. He had encountered him on the few times that he had been over to Takato's house. But… what was Takato's father doing here…?

"G-G-Guilmon…?" The man stuttered out, his gaze fixated on the sight that was in front of him. As Impmon landed behind the man he followed his gaze and his eyes widened in time with his mouth dropping open.

_W-Wha…? No… no…_ way! _Guilmon! It's… I don't_ believe _it! Guilmo… this… this can't be possible!_

Clearly however, what he was seeing was very much real. But there was something wrong about what Impmon was seeing. Something about it was off, and he didn't think that it was just Pineapple Head's coloring.

The creature that stood at the gate to the stone shed growled at them, like an animal that had been cornered.


	21. Dark Memories

Lucemon floated in the air, high above the city of Shinjuku, his eyes closed in meditation as he extended his senses outwards, trying to keep track of the Digimon Tamer that he had encountered, as well as attempting to keep an eye out for any sign for the Great Beast of the Hazard. It was out there somewhere, and though he knew that the odds of his tracking it were better if the _humans_ (as much as he hated to admit it) did the job for him, the task of disposing with the dangerous creature would be made that much more difficult with their interference. Win some, you lose some, but if there was one thing that Lucemon knew for certain he was not going to lose his only chance to finally and _permanently_ destroy the Great Dragon. There was far too much riding on its destruction to let the opportunity slip through his fingers. Lucemon frowned.

_How did such a creature come into existence in the first place?_ The twelve-winged angel wondered. _In all my years of service in guarding the digital world, I have never heard of Megidramon or any of his digivolved forms until_ after _he had appeared outside of Zhuqiaomon's fortress. It was all so sudden, so unexpected… we were barely able to maintain our defenses and keep our world from crumbling. It was a lucky thing that Zhuqiaomon had one of his servants there. Had it not been for him, the digital world would have been destroyed for certain._

Slowly, Lucemon opened his icy blue eyes and stared out over the city, thinking about the humans that dwelt within it, and how ignorant they were of everything that went on right on their door step. He was certain that some of them saw him, and that maybe a few of them even recognized him…

Lucemon frowned again as he thought of the family of humans that had taken him in when they had found him, battered and badly injured from his battle with the Tamers. It was something that surprised him. He had not expected from any human that populated this world, but then there were a lot of things that he hadn't expected upon his arrival here. He had thought that he would do battle with Megidramon himself, but instead he faced off against a human child and a red child-like digimon that only bore a slight resemblance to the dragon that had nearly destroyed the digital world. And not only that, they had merged, _merged_ into a Royal Knight! That itself had been the most surprising of all, and it still disgusted him to no end. A _Royal Knight_ coming from something as dangerous… as _vile_ as Megidramon? Preposterous! And yet, it had happened. And what was more, the digimon known as _Gallantmon_ , had tried to reason with him as they fought, find some way to put an end to the fighting before something bad happened. While Lucemon wasn't surprised that they would plead for their lives, for who wants to die, it didn't sound like they were pleading but rather trying to explain the circumstances of what had happened the day that Megidramon had been created. But he didn't _need_ anything explained to him about what had happened. Megidramon had nearly destroyed the digital world. What else was there? What more did he need?

Lucemon's frown deepened. Of all the times to be wondering about this, it _had_ to be now… now when he was currently in the digital world trying to complete his mission. Why was he wondering this anyway? Perhaps… perhaps it had more to do with how the Tamers had reacted to when he had destroyed Gallantmon. That was one of the things that he hadn't expected to happen. The ferocity and anguish that had been behind the attacks of the Rapidmon and Sakuyamon, especially the Sakuyamon, they were somehow above and beyond what he had endured at the hands of the Cyberdramon that he had encountered earlier today. Granted, the Sakuyamon was on a higher level, but he had seen her anguish up close and personal when she had been about to destroy him, right before the Justimon intervened and prevented the shaman Mega from finishing the job. Such was the strength of her anger, Lucemon felt, that it went beyond the savagery of the Cyberdramon that he had battled. And what she had whispered prior to Justimon's intervention…

_That Sakuyamon had actively been seeking revenge,_ Lucemon thought, wondering about it and shaking his head. Ridiculous! Why would a digimon such as Sakuyamon be seeking revenge over… over a _Rookie?_ Things were a little more complicated then he had initially thought them to be. Regardless however, the celestial angel of the light could not let that get in his way. He had a mission to complete, and it would end here! However it was that the Great Beast had been reincarnated he would see to it that such a thing did not happen again. And if the Tamers got in his way? Well, like he had told that one Tamer earlier, he would make no distinction between humans and digimon when it came to the safety of the digital world. Which was more important? One life or one million? Seeing as how that one life was capable of destroying countless other lives, Lucemon knew what he would choose and where to draw the line in the sand. The Great Beast must be destroyed.

The hazard symbol on the angel's left hand pulsed in time with his thoughts and Lucemon turned his light blue eyes towards a specific area of the park. Curiosity blanketed his mind as he felt something tug at his senses. With a light beat of his wings Lucemon began to fly towards the tree filled park of Shinjuku.

* * *

_Guilmon's_ growl's echoed upon the walls of the hut, giving the former dwelling an almost macabre feeling to it as outside of its entrance, Takahiro and Impmon stared at the creature with eyes wide as though they were seeing a ghost. Given that the creature standing inside of it looked almost exactly like a friend of theirs (the only exception being the reversal of his colors; black where red should be and vice versa), a friend who had died not more than five days ago, at the hands of an angelic digimon ironically, and now seemed to have returned to life mysteriously, but in a way that had left him something of a _shadow_ of his former self. As Impmon and Takahiro struggled to get a hold of themselves, the creature that looked like Guilmon crouched down, the pupils of his cold, golden eyes dilating as he continued to growl at them. Takahiro raised one hand and made a tentative step towards the dark digimon, only to pull back when he saw the _Guilmon_ tense up and its growling increase in intensity.

"Guilmon?" Asked Takahiro, confusion quite evident in his voice, with a slight amount of fear to go along with it as well. "It's me. Takahiro. Do you… remember me? I'm Takato's father. You remember Takato right? He's your friend and Tamer…"

The dark colored Guilmon continued to growl at the man, giving no indication that he had even heard a thing that Takahiro had said, let alone understand it. Either way, it was enough to snap Impmon out of his shock.

"Forget about it," said the diminutive digimon from behind Takahiro, catching the elder Matsuki by surprise. He hadn't realized that Impmon had even been behind him. Impmon's presence, combined with everything that had been happening so far, was rather unnerving for him due primarily to Impmon's demonic appearance combined with the fact that there was a dark colored version of his sons supposedly dead partner, but Takahiro shook away the thought and all the supernatural ideas behind it. This was Impmon and not some creature from the underworld. Still, he had to admit, Impmon's appearance certainly was timely.

"What do you mean?" Asked Takahiro.

"What I mean is," said Impmon as he walked up to where Takahiro stood, his green eyes fixated on the snarling, dark colored version of the friend that he had thought to be dead. "He doesn't recognize ya. Look at him. He's treatin' you like you're a threat or somethin'. If this was the Guilmon that we knew, he wouldn't be acting this way. No offence mistah, but you're about as threatinin' as Calumon after he's had his creampuffs, and besides, Guilmon would _know_ that you're no threat. You do make his grub after all."

Takahiro looked oddly at Impmon for a moment before smiling nervously and looking at the _Guilmon_ , his face becoming set in a grim line once more. Looking at it from Impmon's point of view it did make sense, although the way it was delivered was a little bit odd.

"Okay," said Takahiro bending down to one knee so as to be as close to Impmon's level as possible, never taking his eyes off of the wild digimon that was growling in Guilmon's old den. "So what do we do about this?"

"Huh?"

"What do we do about this? I mean… Takato created Guilmon, and now here we are with what looks like a new version of him in the real world. I don't pretend to know what's going on here, but I don't think that anyone can just destroy him… or whatever it is that you and the others do when a digimon shows up in the real world."

"Hmmm…" Impmon rested his chin in one of his gloved hands, thinking about what Takato's father had said. "Good point. I suppose that the best thing to do is contact Yamaki and let him know about this. I wonder if we should tell Takato…"

"I don't know…"

While the digimon and human continued to discuss the situation that they had unexpectedly found themselves in, the dark colored Guilmon continued to stare at them, growling to make sure that they knew their place and would not approach any further then they already were. Frustration grew in the digimon's dark heart as he realized that these two were not going to leave anytime soon. How he wished that they would just get the message and move on already! Didn't they see that they were not wanted? And one of them… the tall one, there was something about the way he smelled, and looked that reminded him of that other creature that had called him by the name of _Guilmon_ during his fight with the Renamon. There was something else too, something… _familiar_ , but BlackGuilmon could not quite pinpoint what it was. Regardless, such things were secondary to his instincts for survival, and these two, though they _looked_ relatively harmless (though the small one, the _Impmon_ had a different feeling of threat about him. A sense of hidden power) were blocking his only exit. He could dig, but that would take time, time that he did not have. Perhaps he should fight his way out… yes. Fight his way out, and if they resisted and tried to make him stay where he was… well, then they would become free floating data. Data that he could absorb.

As the back of his mouth began to glow with a crimson light, BlackGuilmon sensed something approaching. Something _new_ and _powerful_. Something that switched all the dials in his instincts to their max, and it was headed right towards them. He had to get out of there… _now!_

* * *

"I don't suppose that you brought any _Guilmon Bread_ whitcha, didja?" Asked Impmon as his eyes twitched. He had just caught sight of something red and glowing in the concrete shed, and he immediately recognized it for what it was.

_Oh boy…_

_"Pyro Grenade!"_

* * *

Takahiro was about to say that he didn't think to bring any Guilmon bread with him when suddenly the sound of words being shouted cut him off. The next thing that he knew, a clawed hand shoved him to the side forcefully as a dark red blast of energy impacted with his savior, kicking up smoke and fire upon striking. As he watched in awe, the smoke cleared and there, standing triumphantly (though with a look of annoyance on his pale face) was a tall, humanoid digimon wearing dark leather biker clothes, a twin pair of Berenjena shotguns (one over his left shoulder while the other was strapped to his left leg), and a dark, bird like protective mask over his face.

"Okay," began the former Demon Lord known as Beelzemon. "That was uncalled for…"

Beelzemon took a step towards the dark colored Guilmon, and it stepped back, still crouched close to the ground, growling all the while, leading Beelzemon to suspect that it was planning on leaping at him. Surprise, surprise though. This digimon didn't know what it was dealing with. At another time, the dark Mega would have smirked at the digimon's helplessness, but those days were long behind him. He truthfully didn't much like the idea of harming digimon anymore, especially a digimon that looked so much like the Pineapple Head that had been his friend, but he wouldn't allow any harm to befall Takato's father. If this new Guilmon so much as _looked_ at him the wrong way he was going on a one way trip to… well, maybe he wouldn't go _that_ far, but he'd still put a hurting on this _BlackGuilmon_. If only to let him know that certain people were off-limits. Takato didn't need any more grief heaped up on him right now.

Sure enough, just as Beelzemon had expected, the _BlackGuilmon_ ran towards him and leapt into the air, one claw pulled back and glowing with dark fire as it prepared to attack, no doubt with some variation on the familiar _Rock-Breaker_ attack that the original Guilmon had used. _Tsking_ almost disdainfully Beelzemon extended the data in one of his arms and grabbed _BlackGuilmon_ by its neck, keeping it in the air with its head facing upwards so as to avoid any nasty attacks from that blast furnace, as well as keeping it out of range of its claws.

"Doesn't look like you're going anywhere fast now does it?" said Beelzemon with a small note of sarcasm in his voice, to which the dark colored Guilmon simply responded with a gargled snarl. Beelzemon turned to Takahiro.

"All right mister Matsuki. I've got this guy covered. Go and get a hold of Yamaki and let him know what's going on while I…" Beelzemon suddenly stopped talking as his senses assaulted him, warning him of the new threat that was approaching. Beelzemon cursed himself for not noticing sooner. The strength that he was picking up… it was enormous. And there was something about it, though different after a fashion in the way that wavelengths of light are, which was sickeningly familiar to the former Demon Lord. Turning, Beelzemon saw the angelic form of a blonde haired boy staring at him, _BlackGuilmon,_ and Takahiro with cold eyes. Beelzemon's eyes narrowed.

"Lucemon…"

Takahiro blinked at that.

"Lucemon…? You mean _this_ is the digimon that killed Guilmon?"

"The very same," said Lucemon coolly as he took a step forward, completely unconcerned with the Mega level virus that was currently grappling with the dark Guilmon. "So this is the form that the Great Beast has chosen to inhabit again, is it? How… _appropriate_. Seems much more apt then the previous one. More suited I should think, but I did not come here to talk about the past or compliment the new form of the Great Beast." Lucemon raised one hand towards Beelzemon, as though beckoning him to carry out his next order. "I have come here to ensure that the Beast will not survive to become a threat. Hand him over to me and I will leave you alone."

Beelzemon looked first at _BlackGuilmon_ as it continued its fruitless struggles, and then looked back at Lucemon.

_Great Beast… what's he…_

Beelzemon's eyes suddenly widened as understanding hit him like a Locomon.

_He's talking about Megidramon… But why…?_

Takahiro broke Beelzemon's thoughts.

"You… you _killed_ Guilmon! You _hurt_ my son _and_ destroyed his best friend! Why? Of all the digimon why did it have to be _him?!_ What did he ever do to deserve death?!"

Lucemon glanced casually over at the human adult.

"I don't owe you an explanation for my actions. I did what I thought was best for the digital world. Now, give me…"

The sound of Beelzemon drawing and cocking a gun interrupted him.

"You'd better answer his question bub," growled the Demon Lord, his voice shaking with hidden anger. " 'Cause you owe him one whopper of an explanation for what you did, and over here I don't take kindly to that sort of thing."

Lucemon simply looked at Beelzemon, completely unmoved by the gun that was aimed right at his forehead.

"That's an interesting thing to hear from you Beelzemon. It wasn't all that long ago that you were charged by the Digimon Sovereign Zhuqiaomon to destroy the Tamers and their digimon."

Takahiro gasped and looked over at Beelzemon, but the Demon Lord kept his eyes fixed on the angel before them.

"That was a different time then. _I_ was a different mon then. You think that I feel _good_ about the things that I've done?! I _don't_! But that doesn't mean that I can't still do good with my life, or see to it that others don't have to bear the pain of losing a loved one. You crossed a big line when you killed Guilmon pal, and I'm going to make you pay for what you did!"

Suddenly, on pure instinct, Beelzemon tossed _BlackGuilmon_ away from him and assumed a battle stance, Lucemon maintaining a look of nonchalance until he noticed that his quarry, the _BlackGuilmon_ had gotten up and was using the opportunity to make good his getaway. Cursing, Lucemon prepared to follow, only to halt as the sound of an attack being pronounced cracked upon the air like a whip.

_"Double Impact!"_

* * *

BlackGuilmon raced away from the battle, taking the opportunity to get out while he still could. He didn't know why those two digimon and that human were after him, why _any_ of the humans and digimon that he had encountered were after him, but for some reason he felt that it had something to do with that human boy that he had encountered upon his arrival in this world. The one that had called him _Guilmon_. Growling at the thought of having anything to do with a human, BlackGuilmon sniffed the air and caught a scent. Soon enough he was off again. He didn't know what his connection was with that human, or how he could precisely find out what it was and why others considered it a threat, but perhaps by being nearby the boy, he could… find out? Snarling, BlackGuilmon picked up his pace as above him, two winged figures burst into the air, locked in a ferocious struggle against each other, neither one showing any mercy…


	22. Light and Dark Reversed

Jeri Katou looked up at the class clock for what had to be the hundredth time since her friends departed to face down with whatever digimon it was that had broken through the barriers between the real and digital worlds. She was starting to feel a little bit worried. It had been some time since they had left and they weren't back yet. Of course, that in itself didn't mean much, as it was possible that the digimon had managed to slip away and they were now mounting a search for it. Either that or the digimon was extremely powerful and was giving them quite a bit of trouble, but the brown haired girl felt that that scenario was far less likely. Any digimon that proved sufficiently powerful enough to give the Tamers trouble would have been fairly noticeable, even if they were a good distance away from Shinjuku Elementary. Battles like that tended to be easily noticed no matter where you were in Shinjuku, as the sound of explosions and alarms would have reverberated throughout the city, letting everyone know what was going on. In a city that is constantly used as a battleground for digital life forms, this sort of thing is easy to recognize. It was surprising sometimes that so few people who had left the area despite the Deva, D-Reaper, and Parasimon attacks, and even more surprising that a tourist trade had actually developed to go along with it (a trade profitable enough to put a halt to parental cries to pull digimon merchandise from production out of fear that children just owning anything even remotely related to the franchise would somehow be whisked away to the digital world and become a Tamer).

But that's beside the point.

 _I sure hope that the others are okay,_ thought Jeri as she scribbled down notes, trying to take care not to rush through them and let them take root in her mind for future reference for a test, but every time she did her thoughts just kept drifting back to her friends that had left school to do the duty that they had been chosen for. To protect Shinjuku from any digimon that might endanger it. She was certain that they would be okay, or at least that's what she tried to tell herself, just as Takato had done so many times before…

Jeri's face became crestfallen as she once again thought about Takato and about how hard the loss of Guilmon had struck him. It was almost ironic that Takato had assured her, his family, their friends, even Ms. Asagi that as long as they had each other they would be okay, and he had maintained this belief even in the shadow of Leomon's death. Of course, she felt that Takato was so much stronger and… Jeri put a halt to that line of thought. She had ceased to see herself as being weaker then the others due to her experiences with D-Reaper, her brief partnership with Leomon ( _Lion heart_ he had told her so many times during their time together), and of course because of her relationship with the other Tamers. They did not cast her aside for being without a partner, nor did they look down on her because of it (not that she ever would think that they would of course). Rather they had welcomed her with open arms and words of joy and encouragement, making her greater and stronger then she could ever be on her own, and she too did likewise in her own way for them, being a listening ear for them whenever they needed one to be lent.

And now Takato needed their strength to help him get through his loss.

 _"Trust me,"_ the voice of her friend, Rika Nonaka, whispered to her out of the corner of her mind. _"Takato needs you more then you'll ever know."_

Jeri smiled at those words, taking strength and encouragement from them as she glanced at the empty seat that Takato normally sat in by the window. She hoped that she and the others could help Takato, just like they all did for her when she had lost Leomon and had been held captive by D-Reaper. They had to. In so many ways Takato was the center of the group, the bolt that held the rest of them together. For him to not be with them just because he no longer had Guilmon… Once again Jeri's eyes became sad at the thought of Takato pushing them away, and leaving them behind just because he was no longer a Tamer. He kept so much inside now. If only they could get him to open up.

Jeri glanced at the clock again, her eyes almost pleading with the hands to speed up so that the day would end. She wanted to see Takato as soon as possible, to be there for him, to see how he was, if he would smile today, show some sign of the boy that he had been before Guilmon died. Though she knew from experience that sort of thing was likely to not happen today, and most likely not tomorrow, she felt certain that his pain would ease, given enough time to be healed of his hurts. She hoped that the others would be able to help him with that after they were done with their duties.

Turning back to her notes, Jeri hoped that the others were doing fine. Despite everything that had happened, events that should have made her question otherwise, Jeri felt in her heart that they were okay, and that in the end everything would be all right. All they had to do was have faith. Takato had taught her that.

* * *

 _"Double Impact!"_ Beelzemon shouted as he discharged his Berenjena shotgun, letting Lucemon have it with both barrels. As the bullets exited the rifle and flew towards the angelic digimon, Lucemon narrowed his eyes, not at all concerned with the deadly projectiles that flew towards him, as though death wasn't rushing right towards him and that he had all the time in the world to consider them and plan out an appropriate response to them. And indeed, for Lucemon, such was the case. Time slowed to a crawl from his perspective. Closing his light, blue eyes, Lucemon took a deep breath and raised his hands outwards, palms facing his opponent as though he were welcoming death in an embrace, like a brother or family member that had at long last come home. Tentatively at first, Lucemon reached out with his mind, extending it towards a force that he knew would help him in this battle. He knew what he was up against, and he knew how powerful his opponent was. This knowledge, coupled with the number of surprises that he had encountered so far since entering the real world, forced the angel to make a decision. A dangerous one, but he had come too far, and come too close to completing his mission to let anything unforeseen stop him now, and only one power right now was fully capable of seeing him through anything that might arise.

 

Just as it did when he had combated the Gallantmon.

Suddenly Lucemon's eyes snapped open as a crimson aura flared about him. Time sped up, returning to its normal rate as the celestial angel raised his left hand, the hazard symbol blazing fiercely on it, pulsating in time with the twin bullets that raced on their path of destruction towards him, tearing through the air, unrelenting, unstoppable…

There was a flash of light that forced Beelzemon and Takehiro to shield their eyes. After a few moments, the biker Mega and the father of Takato Matsuki reopened their eyes, blinking as their eyes readjusted to the light, and they stood there stunned at what they beheld.

Between the two of them though, it was easy to tell that it was the former Demon Lord that was the most shocked at what had just occurred.

Lucemon stood there, completely unmoved by the shot that Beelzemon had taken at him. He held his left arm out in front of him, the hand clenched in a fist. Slowly, as though making a point with each finger that the angel opened, Lucemon opened his hand and dropped two bullets onto the concrete stairs that he stood on, each one making a resounding _clanging_ noise as they rebounded off the steps and fell behind the celestial digimon. Gritting his teeth, the former Demon Lord of Gluttony weighed his options, meeting the angel glare for glare before rushing in towards Lucemon, holstering his gun and slashing with his talons.

_"Darkness Claw!"_

Lucemon's expression became contemptuous of his opponent as Beelzemon raced towards him, and with a swift beat of his wings the angel took off, blowing wind and dust into Beelzemon's eyes as he flew into the air, his wings pumping furiously to gain altitude.

 _Oh no you don't_ , thought Beelzemon as he reached into the core of his being. As though by some unspoken command, great, dark feathered, birdlike wings tore their way out of his back and his three eyes shifted from a blood red color to an emerald green. With a great cry of fury, Beelzemon leapt into the sky, his own wings beating on the air as he flew in pursuit of his opponent.

* * *

Takehiro stood there, stunned by what he had just witnessed. Shocked by… well, everything to say the least. The murderer of Guilmon showing up at the digimon's old den, Beelzemon getting into a fight with him, and of course, before all that, the dark colored Guilmon that he and Impmon had discovered…

 

 _Wait,_ thought the man as he took a look around. _Where'd… Where'd_ Guilmon _go?_

It became quite clear to him now, that _Guilmon_ had used the distraction of the fight to slip away. If that was the case, then perhaps he should follow… no. He didn't stand much of a chance of tracking down _Guilmon_ (if that's who it was) down, and even if he did, what could he do? The dark scaled dinosaur was quite hostile to him, and had would have killed him if it had not been for the timely intervention of Beelzemon. What could he do against a digimon? He was not a Tamer. He needed a digimon. Without one there was little that he could do to find the creature that looked so much like his son's partner.

Resigning to fate, Takehiro looked up into the sky, watching with sorrowful eyes as Beelzemon clashed with the angel that was responsible for his son's pain. As he watched the battle continue back and forth between the two, he had to wonder… was it really all worth it? Would it be worth it for Beelzemon to destroy Lucemon? Like his son, Takehiro was an empathic person, and he did not enjoy seeing pain dealt to others no matter what, but he felt a strong urge to see justice done for what had happened to Takato. It was no surprise that he should feel that. He _was_ after all, the boy's father, and the need to protect him was very strong indeed.

But… Was it right? Was this justice, or was it revenge? It wouldn't bring Guilmon back…

Better question. Would this be what Takato wanted?

As Takehiro watched the battle progress, the man clenched his fists as instincts clashed with intellect. Just what _was_ the right decision in a situation such as this?

* * *

 _"Darkness Claw!"_ Shouted Beelzemon as his claws tore through the air; fury all but igniting the oxygen in the air such was the intensity of the anger that he felt towards Lucemon. The angel, for his part, remained nonchalant towards the former Demon Lord, his expression changing every now and then as he blocked an incoming attack as though struggling with the forces that were thrown at him; or perhaps struggling with something from within. Whatever it was, Beelzemon didn't care in the least. All he cared about was getting some measure of satisfaction for taking down the digimon that _butchered_ Guilmon and destroyed a friendship that was never meant to be ended. As Beelzemon delivered a ferocious punch towards the angel's face, only to have it blocked by a wall of golden energy that materialized out of nowhere, a memory from the digital world entered Beelzemon's mind. It had been outside of Zhuqiaomon's tower, after the arrival and subsequent battle with the Royal Knight known as Gallantmon. Born from the bond of a human and a digimon, and the desire to fight side by side to protect their friends no matter what, Gallantmon had engaged Beelzemon in battle, and despite everything, despite having absorbed so much data and even defeating Megidramon in single combat, Gallantmon had beaten him into the dirt. And then, at the end, when he lay before the Royal Knight, defeated and broken, before Jeri had asked the Tamer-turned digimon to spare him, he had spoken.

 

 _"How can you be so cold?"_ Takato had asked from within the armor of the Exalted Knight. _"You're not even sorry for what you_ did!"

Beelzemon felt that Takato's words were appropriate for this situation.

Lucemon fell back, trying to buy some distance between him and the other Demon Lord, and an aura of energy appeared around him. His eyes narrowing, Beelzemon recognized it for what it was. Lucemon was preparing his attack.

_"Grand Cro…!"_

On pure reflex, Beelzemon drew the Berenjena gun from the holster strapped to his left leg and fired. Lucemon's eyes widened in surprise at the speed at which Beelzemon had struck, and immediately canceled his own attack to dodge the incoming hailstorm of bullets. One of them grazed his right shoulder while the other tore through one of the wings on the same side. Though the attack had hurt him, it didn't do too much harm. The wing wound was the worst of it, but he refused to let it bother him. He still had eleven others after all and…

WHAM!

Lucemon's vision of the world lurched suddenly as Beelzemon took advantage of his distraction to swoop in and deliver a roundhouse kick to the side of his head, putting a halt to the motions of his wings that held him aloft. As gravity started to lay claim over his form, a clawed hand grabbed the angel by the front of his robe and hauled him up to meet the enraged eyes of Beelzemon. Lucemon felt the cold, twin barrels of the Mega's shotgun brush against his forehead. Looking into the Demon Lord's eyes, Lucemon could see the depths of anger that Beelzemon was holding within his heart. Anger for the human child, and the so-called _partner_ that he had. The Great Beast, Megidramon. The very creature that he had faced outside of the Digimon Sovereign, Zhuqiaomon's fortress. The monster that had tried to destroy him _and_ the digital world.

All Lucemon could think of was, _why?_

"How could you do it?" Spat Beelzemon angrily. "How could you do what you did?! How could you just destroy Takato's partner like that? How could you do that and act like it's nothing?"

Beelzemon paused for a second before growling angrily and shook the angelic digimon furiously.

" _Answer me!"_ Beelzemon demanded. _"_ _How could you do it?!"_

"Because the safety of the digital world is more important than just one life," said Lucemon softly, his clear blue eyes never once breaking from Beelzemon's green ones. "And I could not allow Megidramon to have a chance to be reborn and threaten us all just as he did before."

This clearly had not been the answer that Beelzemon had been hoping for, for the next sound that Lucemon heard was a gun being cocked.

"You don't understand," Beelzemon said slowly, as though trying to express everything that he felt to the angel. One clawed finger caressed the trigger of his weapon. "There was a _lot_ more that went on the day that Megidramon came into existence, and _I'm_ the one who's at fault for that."

For a moment, Beelzemon closed his eyes and his shoulder's sagged, as though feeling the weight, the burden of his actions on that day settle on him once more. When that moment ended Beelzemon reopened his eyes and looked into Lucemon's, searching his azure gaze for some sign of remorse. Some sign of… anything that held some measure of compassion or that he regretted what he had done.

There was none.

"I guess that this is goodbye," said Beelzemon as his claw tightened on the trigger. Lucemon tensed and waited for the end to arrive.

It did not come.

Lucemon frowned mentally, wondering what Beelzemon was waiting for. Looking into the Mega's eyes, he could see that the former Demon Lord was struggling to do the one thing that would put an end to his existence, but for some reason something stayed his hand. Again, the question came.

_Why?_

For Beelzemon's part, the answer came to him out of the memory from his battle with Gallantmon. The Royal Knight towered over him, triumphant though Beelzemon could tell that even he did not rejoice in his victory over the Sovereign's servant. He pulled back his saber, intending to deliver the finishing blow.

_"Goodbye Beelzemon!"_

Gallantmon gave a battle cry and the saber surged towards him…

And the next sound that he heard was one voice, crying out to the knight.

_"Stop it!"_

_Jeri spared me,_ thought Beelzemon as he remembered the look on her face when he had asked her why she let him live, the hurt, the anger, and her admittance of hate towards him that hurt him worse then anything that Gallantmon or D-Reaper had ever done. _She said that my dying wouldn't bring back Leomon, and that she didn't want anyone else getting hurt because of her. Destroying Lucemon doesn't change the fact that Guilmon died and I'm sure that Jeri wouldn't want this either. And neither would Takato, even though he knows that Lucemon deserves everything that he's got coming to him._

Beelzemon relaxed his claw on the trigger and pulled his weapon away, his eyes never once leaving Lucemon's.

 _That other Guilmon… I don't know what it is, but it's gone now. Lucemon will have a hard time trying to find it, giving_ me _time to track it down and get to the bottom of this. I should probably knock him out, drop him off at Hypnos and deal with him later. I won't go back to what I was and I won't soil Pineapple Head's memory with another death. I_ will _find another way._

"You're not worth it," said Beelzemon finally as he let go of the angel. He was far from done with Lucemon though. He couldn't risk this digimon to remain on the loose with his friends and the new Guilmon residing in Shinjuku, especially if, on some wild chance, Guilmon had found some way to come back to life then technically Lucemon _didn't_ destroy him after all. It didn't leave him in the clear for his actions, but…

Suddenly, Lucemon's body flared once more and Beelzemon cursed himself for hesitating in incapacitating the angel. In a split second action to put a halt to the angel's attack before he could do anything Beelzemon raised his gun once more…

There was another flash of light and then Beelzemon found himself trapped in a field of fluctuating energy. It lashed at him constantly, beating at him like some tumultuous tidal wave. Screaming in pain, Beelzemon felt the data that made up his Mega form being shattered and crushed. As his data began to phase out of stability Beelzemon forced his gaze onto the being responsible for this. Lucemon continued to glow, the light strongest around the area of his left hand, where the hazard symbol was, blazing brightly in the sky as though it were a second sun.

"I don't know what had happened to you since the day that the Great Beast awakened," Lucemon intoned calmly, as though he hadn't been on the brink of death mere seconds ago. "Or why you seem to have developed an emotional attachment to Megidramon…"

"It's _Guilmon!_ _"_ Beelzemon shouted through the power that constantly tore at his body. Lucemon continued as though he hadn't heard him

"But regardless of your change of spirit, I cannot afford to be distracted by it, or you. I have a mission to complete. I had told a Tamer not too long ago that if he or his allies tried to stop me from carrying it out, I would destroy them. You however I will make an acception."

The last bits of data floated away from the storm of energy as it began to calm down, leaving, floating in the air, a bereaved Impmon, battered, bruised, but still glaring defiantly at the angel that floated before him. It would take more than that to break his spirit. A _lot_ more.

"In view of services rendered for defeating Megidramon, and preventing the destruction of the digital world at the hands of the Great Beast, I give you the gift of life. Use it wisely…"

With that, the energy field that had enveloped Impmon vanished and the diminutive digimon fell towards the ground as the earth sought to claim him. Lucemon watched him fall for a moment, and upon seeing him caught by the adult human that he had been with, Lucemon turned and beat his wings upon the air, and flew away, his senses already casting about for some spore of the Great Beast.

* * *

"You okay?" Asked Takehiro to the digimon that he cradled carefully in his arms. Impmon tried to speak, but could only manage a cough as a response. Looking up, Takehiro and Impmon watched Lucemon soar away from them, and could only wonder what their next move was going to be.


	23. The Plot Thickens

Finally, after what seemed like hours, the bell rang, signaling the end of school. With a sigh, Jeri Katou stood up and began rooting through her desk, gathering the materials that she would need for the homework assigned for the night. Around her the other students in her class got up and followed suit. Two of them, a blonde, pig tailed girl wearing an orange and red striped t-shirt, blue jeans, and a personality that only vaguely reminded Jeri of Rika when she was angry, and another with dark, closely cropped hair and a gray dress on top of a white shirt walked over to her desk, books and papers tucked underneath their arms as they looked at her worriedly.

"Hey Ayaka. Hey Miki," said Jeri, forcing a smile as she nodded at them. The two girls smiled back, but the expression did not touch their eyes.

"Hey yourself," said the blonde haired girl that Jeri had identified as _Ayaka_. "You going to see Takato again?"

Jeri nodded.

"Yeah. He's been so down lately ever since… you know. Guilmon died…"

Ayaka and Miki both nodded sadly before turning to look at the empty desk that belonged to the former Tamer.

"How was he yesterday?" Asked Ayaka. "Any different?"

"He was sad, but that's to be expected," Jeri replied before biting her lower lip, unconsciously remembering the time that she had spent as the unwilling prisoner of the malevolent computer program known as D-Reaper. Pushing aside the memory Jeri continued, smiling a little as she remembered one particular event that had rather impressed her, particularly because it so rarely happened, and it only served to show the depths of the bonds that they all had for each other, no matter who they were and how they felt about them. "Rika tried to boost his spirits…"

Ayaka and Miki exchanged glances. Of course, they knew about Rika, the self proclaimed _Digimon Queen_ , having met her back during the Deva invasions after she had emerged from the subway tunnels with Henry and Takato after a battle with a large, snake digimon. They were always amazed at how highly the brown haired girl spoke of the fiery Tamer, given that her personality was rather rough and left everyone feeling a little edgy around her. Sure, she had decidedly warmed up in the time since they had first met the girl, but she always seemed rather indifferent towards others. Oh well, they didn't hang out with her as much as Jeri, Takato, Kazu, and Kenta did so they couldn't say that they were experts on her.

"It's a good thing that he's got you and the others there to help him," said Ayaka, sounding as though she were trying to convince herself that Jeri and the others would be enough to help Takato get through his problems. "I can't imagine losing a partner. Maybe if I was a Tamer I could have an idea…"

Jeri cast her eyes downward, remembering the pain that she had felt losing Leomon, before looking back up at her two friends and once more forcing a smile onto her face, feeling a surge of hope and energy flood her body in response.

"Takato's strong. Stronger then you know. He'll get through this. I know he will because… well, he's _Takato_! You know some of what he's done and what he's gone through when the D-Reaper attacked, and later with the Parasimon. He's got a big heart, and that's what makes him care so much about others, and why losing Guilmon hurts him so much. But it's that same heart that has helped him get through his adventures…"

_Like when he first had Guilmon digivolve to WarGrowlmon against Mihiramon, or when he found his mother's note and good luck charm in his bag after we met up with Ryo in the digital world, the first time he merged with Guilmon to become Gallantmon, and when he fought to rescue me from the D-Reaper…_

"… And it's what will help him get through Guilmon's loss too," Jeri finished, feeling confidence in the boy that had grown so close to her heart. She knew full well that the road wouldn't be easy. She herself had had first hand experience with the emotions associated with the death of a loved one, first her mother and then with her partner, Leomon. And knowing Takato the way that she did, she knew that it would be some time before Takato would be able to accept what had happened. She expected no less of course. Like she had told her two friends, Takato had a big heart and he felt things more then most people did. No doubt that was why he had reacted the way he did when Leomon had been destroyed, wanting to make Beelzemon feel the pain that he had caused when he had did what he did. The emotion was frightening, made more so when Takato's anger was manifested in the form of the fierce dragon known as Megidramon, but it was easily understandable, and it also spoke volumes for how deeply Takato could care for his friends. To feel their pain as though it were his own… there weren't many people like that in the world, and to know that Takato was one of those rare people was comforting enough to overshadow his loss of control. Especially when the Royal Knight Gallantmon had come into existence shortly afterwards…

Ayaka and Mika both carefully nodded. Although they weren't given the full details on the Tamer's adventures, or heard all the stories, they had heard enough, and seen enough (mostly from Kazu whenever he went on about something that had happened to them in their adventure, usually overstating his role in them, and then there was the coverage on the Deva and D-Reaper invasions, and who could forget the day when Takato, Henry, Rika, and Ryo appeared on the TV screens worldwide; something that still occasionally caused the Tamers trouble from time to time) to know what Jeri was getting at. On the few occasions that they had been with Takato during his duties as a Tamer (such as the incident in the subway tunnels back when they were first introduced to Henry and Rika) he had shown qualities that they hadn't thought him capable of. Qualities that hinted at an inner strength and maturity that was only just starting to peak out from beneath the surface of what they saw regularly. Given all his experiences they could almost believe Jeri when she said that Takato would be okay.

Giving Jeri her own confident smile, Ayaka looked out over the other desks that had remained empty for the rest of the day; the two desks that belonged to Kazu and Kenta.

"I wonder how they're doing," wondered Ayaka aloud. "The others I mean. They haven't come back yet but we haven't heard any sounds of fighting for a while now."

"Do you think that means that they're okay?" Asked Miki worriedly, her voice trembling slightly at the thought that one of the two boys, or one of their partners, had suffered the same fate as Guilmon. It had been bad enough hearing about what had happened to the ever-lovable dinosaur, but to have the same thing happen again to Guardromon or even Kenta's partner, that cute MarineAngemon?

Miki felt that it would be too much for the group of Tamers to bear.

"Well," began Ayaka in response to Miki's question, closing her eyes and raising her head in a wise, almost knowing way almost akin to Rika whenever she was explaining something that seemed obvious. "Given that Kazu was going to be involved in whatever it was that broke into the real world I wouldn't give them good odds…"

_"Ayaka!"_ Gasped Miki in surprise, her eyes locking first with Jeri, gauging her reaction before jolting over to the blonde haired girl.

"… But I guess that Kazu's grown up a bit since becoming a Tamer, plus he's got Kenta with him and no doubt that Henry kid and that Terriermon also, so I figure that they have a chance now."

Miki looked at Ayaka with a shocked expression.

"Ayaka…"

The blonde haired girl looked at Miki with annoyance.

"Yeah, what?"

Miki stole a glance at Jeri before answering the pig-tailed girl.

"That wasn't a very nice joke," hissed Miki. "And it wasn't very _subtle_ either!"

"Hey, I'm just trying to lighten the mood here…"

"Well couldn't you have done that in a more _sensitive_ way…?"

"Look Miki…"

Jeri smiled softly at her two friends as they bickered before looking over at Takato's desk again. Yes, she was going to go down to Takato's house. It had become something of a tradition for her now and she was sure that he needed an ear for listening and a shoulder to lean on right now. Collecting the last of the supplies that she needed Jeri waved good-bye to her still arguing friends and headed for the door, bowing once to Ms. Asagi and thanking her for allowing her friends to leave and be able to perform their civic duty as responsible citizens to the city before exiting the room and dashing down the stairs that led to the doors of freedom and out into the brightly lit sun, the image of Takato's face, the one that had held so much joy in his eyes, burned into her mind. She wanted to see that face again. They all did, and it was up to all of them to help him find the happiness that he had lost.

_Just hang on, Takato,_ thought Jeri as she passed through the school's exit and headed for the gates. _We'll all be there for you. I just hope that you don't forget that being there is what friends are for and that we'll always be there for you no matter what happens._

* * *

As the sun beat down on the damp ground, the last signs that a storm had just passed through the area, the sound of children's feet hitting the pavement of the schoolyard could be heard upon the air. A sound of hope for children worldwide…

* * *

Noriko Nakata gave a sigh of relief as she exited the school grounds and headed for the area of the park, intent on using it as a shortcut so that she could get home sooner and see the angelic digimon that had been her families _guest_ these past few days since its arrival. Noriko found it strange sometimes how her mother had received the digimon so easily into her home, and hadn't bothered to call the authorities, instead settling on trying to help the angel heal from his injuries, but she had accepted her mother's behavior with ease. She had always been the type to help someone out if they were in trouble, especially if they were hurt, and it didn't matter whether or not they were human or digital. She had a strong sense of duty to the world, though why this was Noriko never fully understood. Shrugging it off, Noriko's thoughts turned away from her mother and focused more fully on the boy that she had been talking to during lunch, right before his _digivice_ had gone off, signaling the arrival of a digimon in the real world and he had to go to face it with his friends.

Noriko frowned, wondering if it was at all fair that she should live a normal life while Henry Wong had been chosen to be a Tamer and face such dangerous creatures like D-Reaper and Parasimon, always facing the possibility that he or his friends could end up dying or being hurt in each of those engagements. And it was that which lay behind Henry's attitude these past few days. She had engaged the boy in conversation during their lunch period, offering to be a listening ear for him since all his other friends happened to be in another room, not that she didn't think that he was able of coping with his problems, but it was more out of principle. Henry didn't really have anyone to talk to for the majority of the time that he was at school, with the exception of recess, so it seemed logical to lend an ear to him if he ever wanted to talk about his problems. It seemed to work to, and through it, she had learned a few things. Things that Noriko wasn't sure that she was at all comfortable with learning. She had listened to some of the things that Lucemon had had to say when she was around him at home, and she listened carefully, with a level of curiosity that she hadn't known herself capable of having. He had claimed that he had been on a mission to destroy a great and powerful monster that had nearly destroyed the digital world some time ago, and had fled into the real world, having apparently found sanctuary with the group of humans known as _the Tamers_ , though whether or not they had been aware of this Noriko did not know for certain as Lucemon hadn't elaborated on every single detail. The only Tamer that she knew really was Henry. Takato, Kazu, and Kenta, the only other Tamers that went to her school as far as she knew, were in a different class and she never felt that it was necessary to bother them, or Henry for that matter.

But with Henry's recent change in attitude, for the first time Noriko felt that she had to know what was wrong. In all the time that she had known him, even if she didn't know that much about him, Henry had always been a very controlled person, and while he did exhibit varying degrees of emotion depending on the situation, he had never been as stressed out as she had seen him be this past week. Well, maybe with the exception from last year shortly after D-Reaper had been defeated but this Noriko felt was different. And she was right.

Gleaning from what little Henry had been able to tell her before his digivice went off, alerting him to the bio-emergence, Noriko gathered that a friend of his had been badly hurt by a recent tragedy, the loss of a friend. While he didn't give any names, Noriko felt that it was all connected to one of his Tamer friends.

And, if she remembered correctly, it had been on the day that she and her brother had found Lucemon in the park.

Noriko remembered all those times that the Tamers had fought for the city, defending it from digimon like that weird purple pony with that sea shell horn, and that giant pig that wrecked havoc throughout the city, and of course the infamous battles against D-Reaper and the Parasimon. She couldn't believe that they had a digimon among them that was what Lucemon had described as _"a vicious, brutal monster filled with hatred for everything that lived, and who's very existence was a disruption to the natural order of the digital world"_. Remembering a news clip of all the digimon that she had seen from the battles against D-Reaper, various digimon, and finally against the swarm of Parasimon, Noriko couldn't see any of them as becoming the monster that Lucemon had described.

Could he have been mistaken? Did Lucemon destroy an innocent digimon? One that had been a partner to one of the Tamers?

As Noriko mused over these thoughts, doubt filling her heart concerning the digimon that she, her brother, and her mother had been caring for these past few days, a shadow appeared over her, a shadow that was _very_ familiar to her. Blinking in surprise, Noriko looked up to see the form of Lucemon flying through the air, his course ragged as though his flight had left him heavily exhausted. Within seconds upon seeing the angelic digimon, Lucemon's wings began to falter and he began to lose altitude. Gasping Noriko tensed, unable to do more then watch and wait to see how the angel would fare on his trip down towards the earth beneath him. Finally, after a couple, agonizing seconds, Lucemon beat his wings upon the air and landed carefully upon the ground, nearly stumbling as he did so.

"Lucemon!" Cried out Noriko as she dropped her school bag and raced over to the angel. The digimon's eyes widened in surprise as the young girl grabbed him by the shoulders and helped him maintain his now precarious balance.

"Wha…? Noriko?"

Noriko took in the digimon's disheveled appearance, wondering what he was doing away from home. Lucemon looked to have been in a fight of some sort, as some bruises around the area of his face, not visible when she had gotten up in the morning to go to school, and his breathing, which came out in small, ragged gasps, told her of the struggle that he had endured. One wing on his right side looked to have been badly ruffled by something, and there looked to be a graze on his right shoulder as well. Whatever it was that he had come into contact with it had certainly not been very friendly.

"What's happened to you?" Asked Noriko, and Lucemon only grunted in response, attempting to shake the girl off but failed. Finally, after a few moments, Lucemon decided that if he was to recuperate enough to hunt down the spore of the Great Beast, he was going to have to trust this human, though it irked him to do so even though she had done so in the past.

"I ran into trouble," answered the angelic digimon. "And I had to use _extreme_ measures in order to compensate, otherwise I would likely have been destroyed. As much as I hate to admit it, I _still_ have not recovered sufficiently from the injuries I suffered a few days ago… " Lucemon then sighed heavily and tried to stand up straight. "I cannot afford to be weak right now. There's too much riding on the line for me to be affected by that. The Great Beast… it's returned…"

Noriko scrunched her eyebrows in concern, still remembering some of the stories that she had heard the angel tell her about what he had sensed back in the digital world about a monstrous digimon that he refused to name in their presence because he considered it too vile to utter in front of children, but the new thoughts that had surfaced today after her conversation with Henry, the ones that brought forth the possibility that Lucemon had destroyed an innocent digimon rather then the evil entity that he had sought out, would not leave her alone.

_Did Lucemon know what he was doing? Did he know all the details that went on before he took up this_ quest _of his? I don't know everything myself, but I have the feeling that we both have only just scratched the surface…_

Feeling that they needed some time to themselves, Lucemon to catch his breath and she herself to get a better idea of what Lucemon was here for, Noriko nudged the angel forward.

"Come on," she said, smiling slightly, belying how she was really feeling inside. "Let's go home and get you cleaned up…"

Lucemon frowned, but nodded in agreement before taking a step forward, helped out by the girl that was supporting him.

* * *

Jeri Katou let herself into the bakery with a nervous smile on her face, nodding politely to Takato's mother as she approached the counter that she was standing behind. There was something about the woman's face that seemed off, something in her expression that kept some emotion carefully hidden, and though Jeri attributed it to the pain that she still undoubtedly felt over Guilmon's death and her concern for the well being of her only son there was something in Mei's eyes that left her feeling slightly uneasy. Pushing the feeling aside as best as she could, Jeri approached the counter. Mei smiled gently at the brown haired girl and nodded, which helped ease some of her tension.

"Um… hi," Jeri began, holding her hands behind her back, feeling awkward in the bakery even though she had no reason to be. "Mrs. Matsuki. Is… Takato upstairs?"

Mrs. Matsuki's eyes became downcast and she turned towards the cash register in front of her.

"I'm afraid not, Jeri," said Mei with a shake of her head. "Takato went out, saying that he was going to try to give school another shot… but he said that most likely he would end up spending time down at the park today He… _hasn't_ come home yet."

"I see…" said Jeri carefully, feeling her heart sink. "Well, Takato wasn't at school today so it's possible that he did go down to the park after all. Would it…" Jeri swallowed carefully, feeling a little anxious. "Would it be okay if I stayed here and waited for him?"

Mei smiled.

"Sure. If you want to you can wait for him in his room."

Jeri giggled lightly, thanking Takato's mother before turning to leave the bakery section of the Matsuki residence, carefully taking off her shoes as she entered the living area. As she headed for the stairs that went up to Takato's room, she heard a familiar, voice proclaim loudly in irritation as if at some horrible treatment being done to its being.

_"Hey!_ Watch it with that stuff mistah! That _stings!"_

"Sorry, but you know that it's good for cuts and scrapes…" replied a second, also familiar voice.

_That sounds like… Impmon. And Takato's father._

Curious, Jeri followed the voices into the bakery's kitchen where she did indeed find Takato's father, Takahiro Matsuki tending to what looked like an injured, but otherwise energetic and cranky, Impmon.

"Well next time don't go so heavy with it," complained Impmon. "The idea is to make me feel better, not hurt me more!"

"You can't make an omelet without breaking a few eggs…" intoned Takahiro in a wise voice.

"And who came up with _that_ saying? 'Cause I think that it's a load of… eh?"

Looking up, Impmon's face paled as he saw Jeri standing in the doorway of the kitchen. Takahiro looked first at Impmon, wondering what it was that had silenced the diminutive digimon before following his gaze. He wasn't at all surprised that Jeri was here, since she had been visiting the bakery regularly since Guilmon had _reportedly_ been _deleted_. However, Impmon's surprise had less to do with her presence and more to do with how the new series of events might affect her. Especially with what he had just learned.

"Hey there, Jeri…" began Takahiro, but Jeri overrode him, taking notice only of the small, impish digimon that sat on the stool in the bakery's kitchen.

"Impmon…" Jeri said softly, looking over his battered form worriedly. "What happened to you?"

Impmon looked down at the floor and scowled, his gloved hands clenching tightly into fists as the full impact of what he had gone through once more settled heavily upon his shoulders.

_I wasn't ready for this,_ thought Impmon sorrowfully. _I don't know what to say, but… she needs to know. She_ deserves _to know what's going on. But… do I tell her about why Lucemon destroyed Guilmon?_

_What do I tell her?_

Impmon scarcely noticed that Jeri had even moved until she took his hands into her own. Impmon looked up into golden eyes that looked back at him. Eyes full of worry for his well being.

"Impmon," said Jeri. "What's the matter? You know that you can tell me what happened. I just want to know if you're all right…"

Impmon clenched his eyes shut, and one lone tear made its way down his face.

_Should I tell her?_ Impmon asked himself before taking a deep, shaky breath to steady himself.

"Jeri…" Impmon began, licking his lips carefully, trying to find some moisture in a mouth that had suddenly become as dry as a desert. "…You might want to sit down for this."

Jeri titled her head to one side in confusion and raised an eyebrow.


	24. Hazard's Confession: Part 1

Ryo leapt off of Cyberdramon's shoulder as soon as the great cyborg dragon landed in front of Hypnos's main entry doors, startling many people who were simply passing by. Ryo offered a sympathetic to the pedestrians before turning Cyberdramon and telling the intimidating Ultimate to wait for him on top of the roof while he went inside and saw what was going on at Hypnos and if any of the other Tamers had made it there as well. Cyberdramon _did_ say that Henry, Kazu, and Kenta were on their way there the last time he saw them, and he was certain that they would have beaten him here, even with the added bonus of Cyberdramon's flight (having to take the time to find his partner first this was understandable). Turning back to face the entrance to Hypnos, Ryo began to walk towards them, ignoring the increasing number of stairs that he was getting from the populace around him. A lot of people knew that he was involved in some way with the digital world and the digimon that routinely entered the real world, mostly because of the incident with D-Reaper, his rather long disappearances, and of course, his near effortless victories at the digimon card tournaments (the near part coming from Rika's regular presence at such occasions). No doubt this would only add to the reputation that he had been garnering and the Legendary Tamer repressed a sigh. There were times where he wished that he wasn't an easily recognizable celebrity, whether it was here or in the digital world. While it could be nice from time to time, it could also be quite bothersome, as people treated him as though he were entitled to have the world handed to him on a golden platter or use his fame as an excuse to barge in on his private life.

_Takato, Henry, Kazu, and Kenta sure are lucky in that regard,_ mused Ryo as he opened the doors and began to walk up to the receptionist's desk in the lobby. Faintly Ryo wondered if Rika had to put up with the same sort of thing that he did after winning a tournament. She never spoke much about her victories after his disappearance so he could only guess, though experience, being the great teacher that it is, told him that it was most likely the case.

Pushing aside such thoughts, Ryo stopped in front of the receptionist desk and regarded the young woman that sat behind it. She was young with short, golden curled hair that reminded him subtly of Tally, one of the operators of Hypnos, but as far as Ryo was concerned he didn't recognize her.

_Must be new,_ the boy thought distractedly, wondering if trying to get a hold of Yamaki would be harder than he thought. The woman turned up her grayish eyes to look at him and Ryo gave her a small, but warm and confident smile.

"Can I help you?" The woman asked

_Here we go…_ thought Ryo, feeling as though he were getting ready to step into the proverbial breach.

* * *

The air in the meeting room was filled with tension, though for each person that was gathered there, there was a different reason for this tension. But none felt the pressure more than Takato Matsuki as he sat at the table, feeling the questioning gaze of his friends on him even as Yamaki began speaking.

"Thank you all for coming on such short notice," began Yamaki, nodding to each of the children before continuing. "As I'm sure that you're all aware, a digimon bio-emerged not too long ago…"

"Yeah," said Kazu, piping up. "We know. It was Lucemon."

Takato, Rika, Renamon, and Yamaki all raised their eyebrows in surprise at this.

"Lucemon's here?" Asked Takato breathlessly. Kazu nodded.

"Yeah. Cyberdramon tangled with him and had nearly gotten taken out. It's a good thing that Kenta and MarineAngemon were there to help him out. It looked like he got blasted pretty hard before Lucemon got away…"

Takato looked down at the table's surface, trying to get a hold of the surprise that he felt rushing through his mind.

_Lucemon… but how? I thought… well, I guess that we all thought that he was dead since we hadn't seen him since… since Guilmon had been destroyed. I… Lucemon must be here because I brought Guilmon back to life. He must have sensed it somehow…he must have come back to the real world to finish what he started once and for all and… what happened to Cyberdramon…_

Takato sighed thinking about the Ultimate level partner to Ryo Akiyama. He was glad that Cyberdramon hadn't been destroyed, but he still couldn't help but feel a certain amount of responsibility for what had happened to him.

"This is… all my fault…" Takato whispered to himself, causing everyone to look at him strangely, having heard what he had said.

"Say wha…?" Began Kazu, sounding about as confused as Takato had been on numerous occasions in the past. " _Your fault?_ What're you talking about?"

"Yeah Takato," said Kenta. "How can Lucemon's being here in the real world be _your fault_?"

"Dude, that's what I just…" Kazu began to say until the sound of Yamaki's cell phone cut off the visor-wearing boy. Taking it out, Yamaki answered it, and after a few moments nodded.

"Send him up," the Head of Hypnos said simply before hanging up and pocketing his cell phone. Yamaki looked at the Tamers gathered around the table.

"Looks like we're almost complete here. Ryo Akiyama has just shown up. He should be arriving here shortly, and judging by the story that you have to share I imagine that we'll need all the help that we can get."

As predictable as clockwork, Kenta and Kazu both exchanged excited glances at the prospect of being able to see Ryo again, but for once they were able to keep their jubilation to a minimum.

"So," began Terriermon from his place on Henry's shoulder, looking over at Takato and twitching one of his ears nervously, unsure as to whether or not he wanted to ask this question, but feeling that the need to address it was important. "What did you mean by _it's your fault?_ You didn't have anything to do with Lucemon coming back to the real world…"

Henry nodded mentally, glad that someone was bringing the conversation back to its original purpose, though he wasn't sure at all what Takato had to do with it. But the fact that he was here at all certainly seemed a little odd, given that he no longer had Guilmon with him. And then there was the sympathetic look that Rika was giving him and the look in her eyes that made it seem like she wasn't sure as to whether she should step in or not. Something had happened while he and the others were chasing after Lucemon, and Takato was involved in some way. But did Rika know about it? And if so, how? No doubt it had something to do with why they were there before any of the rest had arrived.

_Did they see Lucemon bio-emerge?_ Wondered Henry before frowning at the thought. No. That most likely wasn't the case. Both Rika and Takato had shown surprise on their faces at learning that Lucemon was back. So did Renamon in fact, and she wasn't one that was easily surprised by anything so there was something to that.

_But… if they didn't encounter Lucemon, then what happened? What was it that made them come here before we showed up? Does it have something to do with what happened to Guilmon?_

Henry didn't know just how close he was to the truth.

Takato's eyes became downcast.

"Actually… I think that I did…"

Once again, eyebrows were raised as the children and the digimon that were present in the room all focused their attention on Takato, but before Takato could say anything, Yamaki spoke up.

"As much as I would like to hear what each of you have to say, it's going to have to wait until Ryo arrives. I would like for everyone to be able to hear this all at once rather than have to explain everything again."

Takato closed his eyes and drew in a light breath, trying to calm his nerves and collect himself for what he knew was coming.

* * *

Noriko Nakata opened the back door to her home and helped Lucemon inside, leading him over to the couch in the living room and setting the angel down on it before straightening up and stretching, hearing an audible _pop_ in her back and wincing a little as she relaxed. She was a little bit surprised that they had been able to get this far without being seen. Of course, Lucemon was fairly human like in comparison to most of the digimon that had frequented Shinjuku in the past, and his angelic appearance must have been a welcome relief when compared to the nightmarish and grotesque Parasimon that had attacked the city nearly four weeks ago. She had been prepared to use the excuse that Lucemon was her _little brother_ who was wearing a costume for a play that he had had to participate in, but as no one had taken any notice of the twelve winged angelic digimon (having taken an _alternate_ route home, one that was less congested with people) the young girl had no reason to use it. Which was fortunate, as she did not like the idea of having to lie to adults. Due to experience with her mother, Noriko always felt that adults somehow knew when she or a friend was lying.

Noriko wondered if Henry and his friends had to do that sort of thing everyday, and she could almost laugh at the kinds of excuses that they probably had to come up with. _Stuffed toys_ or _kids wearing costumes_ perhaps…

Noriko repressed a chuckle as she remembered the conversation that she had with Henry earlier that day and Lucemon's possible role in his mood. Noriko frowned before heading out to the kitchen to get something to eat, asking Lucemon if he wanted anything (to which he promptly replied ' _no_ '). As she entered the kitchen and opened the fridge she wondered where her mother and brother were, as they were not home when she got in. Well, perhaps that was all for the best, though she would have liked it if her mother were there. She would know how to put things in perspective, how to approach the issue that she was thinking on. The main issue being that Lucemon had entered the real world to destroy a creature that he believed to have been a threat to the digital world, and that he had instead not only destroyed a digimon that was a hero to the citizens of Shinjuku and perhaps even the digital world as well, but had destroyed a digimon who was loved by a good many people. The idea that someone could make a decision like that so easily, regardless of whether or not they had known all the details of the situation, was rather disturbing to her. How could someone, _anyone,_ treat life so callously? How could they take a life and act as though it had meant nothing to them to do so?

As these thoughts roiled through Noriko's mind, the girl growled in frustration as she routed through the fridge before finally giving up, deciding that she really wasn't all that hungry anymore. Heading back to the living room, Noriko looked over the angelic digimon that was once again her family's _houseguest_ (even though she hadn't been aware of his departing to begin with), wondering about him and the sort of life that he led in order to be the way that he was. Lucemon sat there, staring ahead with his cool, blue eyes, not at all concerned with the world around him, as if it were beneath his notice. His eyes held no mercy, no regret for what he had done, and hadn't at all during these past few days that he had spent in the Nakata household. All that was in them was a fierce determination to see this through to the end and get it done as quickly as possible, but it was tempered back by the bone weary exhaustion that he presently felt from his recent excursion. Whatever had happened in that battle that he had been in, it had nearly depleted his energy, though he refused to show it.

As much as Noriko could pity the angelic digimon right now, there were things that she had to know. Things that she had to discuss with Lucemon, to see if he had done what she thought that he had done. But even so… even if she could, what could she do about it? She really didn't have any power to _make_ Lucemon say anything, and there was a look in his eyes that convinced her that whatever she had to say on the matter wasn't going to change what he thought or felt about his actions. She had known some people who were like that; people who would just dig their heels in and never admit that what they did was wrong. But then, she didn't know the full story behind it, and since Lucemon was the only person around whom she could possibly get any information out of…

Noriko sighed.

_Well… might as well jump into the pool and start swimming,_ thought Noriko with a shake of her head. Narrowing her eyes in what could taken as an eerie approximation of Rika Nonaka whenever she was angry about something, Noriko stepped forward and stood in front of Lucemon.

"We need to talk," the girl said, her voice carrying all the tension of the calm before the storm.

* * *

Ryo Akiyama stepped out of the elevator and took a brief look around, taking note of the room numbers before choosing a direction and taking it, his mind focusing on the events that had brought him here, what he had learned, and how it would affect the others once they learned what he learned, most especially how it would affect Takato. Though he was certain that the other Tamers wouldn't toss their friendship out the window because Takato had held back on them, the chance of their relationship becoming strained was strong, and Ryo didn't much like the idea of that happening. Takato had mattered too much to them all to lose what they all shared through their experiences as Tamers, to lose the trust that they had developed between each other. During all his travels and adventures in the digital world, Ryo knew that friendship and love were two very important things to have in ones life, even if circumstances made it difficult to create and maintain those bonds.

_The least I can do is try to lessen the impact of what I've learned, and to remind everyone that they have to stick together. That they need each other…_

Ryo walked up to the door that the receptionist had told him to go to and took a deep, calming breath. Strange. He normally didn't feel nervous about anything, not since Milleniummon at least, and on the few occasions that he had been since then he had been able to push his fears and worries to the side and focus on the matter at hand. But then, this wasn't the same as all the battles that he had been in though there were some similarities in that he felt that there was so much was at stake, riding on this one meeting. This wasn't something that he could solve with a _Thunder Clap_ attack or a Goliath Card. This was something that involved the emotions of people who were very close to each other, himself included, and as such the situation had to be handled with care. He had been in similar situations in the past, when information had been held back on him, to _train_ him to take down a dangerous threat to the digital world, he felt that he couldn't trust those that were meant to help him as much as he would like. Though Takato's situation was different, his actions might cause a similar reaction from his friends and…

_Enough of this,_ thought Ryo as he reached for the doorknob. _These guys are different from you. Their experiences are different… sort of._ Ryo smiled at that last thought, though it was a little forced. _Either way, I know that they'll get through this and not lose their friendship or their trust for each other. In the short time that I've known them, I've learned that trust and friendship is something that's very important to them. So show some faith…_

Ryo turned the doorknob and entered the room, greeting each of the Tamers with a careful nod, and getting a greeting in return from each of them in turn. Henry and Terriermon gave a simple _'hello'_ , Kazu and Kenta with repressed excitement (or what could be passed off as _repressed)_ , Takato a low _'hi'_ , and, almost surprisingly, a returning nod from Rika with no appearance of anger towards him. A nice surprise that, but Ryo shrugged it off for now. There were other things that were more important right now, and it was best to start at the top of the list and work their way down, starting with Takato's problem and how to deal with it. Taking his seat, Ryo nodded to Yamaki that he was ready for the meeting to begin, or rather continue from where they had left off.

"To recap," began the blonde haired Head of Hypnos. "Hypnos's network detection systems picked up a digimon trying to bio-emerge into the real world…"

"C'mon," said Kazu, interrupting Yamaki. "I'm sure that Ryo already knows this by now. I mean," Kazu turned to Ryo. "You picked up the same signal that we did right?"

"Yeah, I did. I even tried to help Cyberdramon in that fight…"

"From the way your partner looked it didn't look like you did all that well," said Terriermon sarcastically.

"I know. I saw a little bit of that through my digivice. I know that Lucemon's here. I even managed to follow him…"

"Hold on," spoke up Kazu, a little surprised. "You managed to _follow_ Lucemon? On your own?"

"Typical," muttered Rika. Ryo grinned mentally. He guessed that he deserved that. He had a habit of doing things like that, even if it wasn't always the best idea to do.

"Yeah, I followed him," said Ryo. "And I also learned something because of that. And it has to do with Guilmon…"

Ryo turned his gaze on Takato, who was still looking at the table with a downcast look on his face. Ryo's face softened, wondering what had happened to the kid who had charged into the depths of D-Reaper without any fear for his own well-being. Of course he could easily attribute it to losing Guilmon, but it just seemed so wrong to see Takato acting like this; no smile, no look of determination, no _faith_ in his friends or in himself. Just… fear for how his friends would react once they found out. It was like Guilmon refusing to eat bread. It was unnatural.

Had Ryo noticed, he would have seen the looks on the others as they remembered something about Takato saying earlier how it had all been _his fault_.

"I know," said Takato quietly, his response surprising Ryo. He had expected that he himself would have to take the floor here, but it looked like Takato was willing to stand up and own up to whatever mistakes he had made. Ryo regarded Takato sadly, wishing that he didn't have to go through this while at the same time feeling a sense of pride in finding out that, despite everything that had happened that had seemingly crushed his spirit, Takato was still willing to go out and brave the storm.

Takato continued, the quiet in the room was only broken by the voice of the former goggle-wearing Tamer. No one interrupted him as he began to explain what had happened.

"It all began with Guilmon…" Takato said plainly, but sadly. "…And it also began with me…"


	25. Hazard's Confessions: Part 2

"No," said Lucemon simply to the girl that sat on the ground in front of him as he tried to understand why he was even putting up with this interrogation. It didn't seem at all natural that a digimon of his stature should have to submit to this, but he _was_ in the girl's household, and though he had lived in a world where the law was _survival of the fittest_ , he did have a sense of honor bestowed on him and enforced by the various other digital guardians that existed within the confines of the digital world and that honor was what made him feel obligated to answer the girls questions. Besides, as tired as he was feeling right now from his battles with Beelzemon and Cyberdramon, he felt that there was very little chance of him refusing to answer Noriko's questions.

"No," Lucemon said again. "Despite what you have told me, despite _everything_ that you claim has happened, that the digimon that I destroyed has accomplished, I don't regret what I have done. What I did, I did for the sake of the digital wo…"

" _For the sake of the digital world,_ yeah I know," said Noriko in exasperation. She hadn't liked finding out that Lucemon had been fully aware of what he had been doing when he had entered the real world and destroyed the digimon that he had claimed was the embodiment of a malevolent entity known as _Megidramon_ , and she couldn't understand why Lucemon wasn't seeing this the way that she did. Didn't he get it? He _killed_ a digimon that was not only a hero to Shinjuku, but also had friends and people who genuinely cared about him, yet here he was not showing any sign that he regretted what he had taken away, and he was an _angel_ , or at least based off of an angel. She didn't know all that much about digimon, neither the real deal nor the card game. She wasn't even all that familiar with the TV show that the card game was based off of, not even when the actual existence of digimon had become public knowledge. A little strange of her to be that way, but then her mother hadn't discouraged her or her little brother from buying the franchise as did other parents, and of course not a lot of children conversed with ultra-powerful creatures from a dimension composed of digital information either such as she was doing right now.

_Did the Tamers ever feel this way ever time that they confronted a digimon?_ Wondered Noriko as she fixed her crimson eyes on Lucemon.

"What I don't get," said Noriko, trying to keep calm in the face of this digimon that she had first thought of as an angel who was on a heroic mission to save two worlds. "Is how you can be so indifferent about this? You say that you did it all for the _sake_ _of the digital world_ , but…"

Noriko paused as she chewed on her lower lip, trying to find some way to approach this in a way that might get Lucemon to understand what it was that he had done. However it seemed that Lucemon got what she was getting at.

"The loss of life is regrettable," said Lucemon with a simple nod of his head, but his face held a firm expression to it. "But you weren't there when the very fabric of the digital world was being disrupted by _Megidramon_ , the chaos that his very presence brought. Even if he did _redeem_ himself as you said, though it doesn't appear that you know all the details of that event yourself…"

Lucemon looked at the girl with a scrutinizing gaze, causing Noriko to look away in shame. No, she hadn't been there at all, so she didn't know anything about what had happened. She didn't even know what Megidramon was either, but she couldn't help that. She wasn't a Tamer.

Lucemon continued.

"…What occurred in the digital world just from Megidramon existing was nearly as devastating as the Chaos that threatened both our worlds, and that was just by his very _presence!_ Can you imagine what would have happened if he unleashed the full fury of his destructive powers? Or even a fraction? None of the Sovereigns have an idea as to what would happen. They don't dare to; they _didn't_ dare to because it would mean having to hunt down the creature that contained such power, though why they would refuse to eliminate such a destructive beast I don't know. The creature was born _right outside a Sovereigns fortress!_ How can that be ignored?! Especially considering the threat that Megidramon presents?"

Noriko really didn't have much of a clue as to what Lucemon was referring to. _Sovereigns_ and the like, though she guessed that they were some sort of leader or protective group in the digital world, and Lucemon was perhaps an emissary of their authority (though by the sounds of it Lucemon was working without their knowledge). Megidramon truly sounded like a powerful and monstrous creature, that is if what half of what Lucemon was saying was true (and she had no reason at present to doubt the angel's sincerity), but the digimon that Megidramon came from… _Guilmon,_ if the rumors that she heard around school and what she had gleaned from Henry earlier today during lunch were true… she couldn't imagine a digimon that had been described as _cute_ and _lovable_ by some of the girls in Takato's class turning into something like that. But Lucemon was right about one thing. She hadn't shared the Tamers experiences. But she had heard some talk about how Guilmon turned into a white knight and saved the city from the Parasimon…

Noriko's eyes settled on the white feathers of Lucemon's wings, and a memory came to her; a memory from a news report a little over three weeks ago when the Parasimon attacked Shinjuku. The news report had shown an image of a crimson knight ascending into the sky on wings of light similar to Lucemon's, and from what she had seen he had radiated such light, strength, and goodness that she couldn't believe that such a being could have become the monster known as Megidramon. And even if he had, wasn't what he became afterwards more important?

Noriko relayed this memory and her feeling to Lucemon and the angel was quiet for a moment before turning his gaze back to Noriko. His clear, blue eyes were hard and unfeeling, still lacking any sign of regret over what he had done, and Noriko sighed mentally realizing that Lucemon probably never would. He was on a level of thinking that left no room for that sort of thing. To quote an oft used line, _'the good of the many outweighs the needs of the few'_ , and for Lucemon, he took its meaning to heart.

"I cannot risk the possibility of Megidramon getting loose again," the angelic digimon told Noriko. "No matter what form he possesses, what he does that monster is still there inside of him waiting to ravage the digital world again. I may not have seen Megidramon come into existence, but I _felt_ the rage, the anger that birthed it, and I could do little else but wait for the storm to pass and hope that things would remain as they were. I _will_ _not_ allow that to happen again, whether it's in the digital world or in this one. Given the choice, I wouldn't hesitate to do it all over again."

Noriko looked away, trying to come up with some way to respond to that. How could Lucemon say that? She wasn't there when Megidramon was created but… neither was he. Did that give him the right to play judge, jury, and executioner without knowing the full story behind what had happened. It sure seemed like he felt entitled to it…

The click of the door opening caught Noriko's ears, and the voice of her mother interrupted her thoughts as she called out to see if anyone was home. With a sigh, Noriko got to her feet and padded on out of the living room, a sad look on her face as she tried to come to grips with the digimon that was in her family's home, wishing that she had never met him now and hoping that her mother would be able to do something about him. Never before had she felt such an alien presence in the house before, not even when they had first brought him in.

And it was, after a fashion, her own fault.

_'No good deed goes unpunished' grandpa used to say,_ thought Noriko with a shake of her head.

* * *

Lucemon looked down at the hand that bore the symbol of the Digital Hazard, the only thing that linked him in any way to the Great Beast that had nearly destroyed the digital world. Though he didn't show it to the girl he had been shaken by the girl's revelation that the dragon had actually become a Knight-like Seraphim such as he and his other angelic companions that served to protect the digital world. How such a thing was possible he wasn't sure. Did it… did it have something to do with that human _boy_ that Megidramon was bonded with? And furthermore, was that boy responsible for creating the digimon in the first place? Lucemon shook off this last question, deeming it to be of far lesser importance in comparison to the questions that had been raised in his mind by Noriko. If it was true what she said, and given the form of the Great Beast that he had faced upon arriving in the real world there was certainly some evidence in favor of this possibility, then was it possible that the Great Beast that he had driven himself to find and destroy had risen and became a guardian of the world that it had tried to destroy in its blind rage? There were some digimon that existed that were deemed beyond salvation, but there were some amongst the angelic Guardians that claimed that this was not so, and if this was the case…

Lucemon frowned as his eyes continued to trace over the Hazard marking on his left hand. Such a fearsome and devastating power, and only a very select few digimon were capable of accessing it, he himself among them and at times he considered it a curse, albeit an often useful curse though it was not without its consequences. The Digital Hazard was a two edged sword, dangerous to whoever it was wielded against as well as wielded by, and in one, blind fit of rage the digimon that had become Megidramon had reached out towards it…

Only to pull back and be reborn as a knight.

Lucemon continued to look at the familiar mark that graced his hand, and remembered the Beelzemon that he had fought earlier, and how enraged he had been to know that Lucemon had destroyed Megidramon even though this same Beelzemon had fought it in the past. Whatever had happened to him in the time since that battle it was clear that he believed that he had every reason to destroy Lucemon and yet… he didn't. He had spared him. A digimon whose Mega form was a _Demon Lord_.

Lucemon reflected on the irony that there had once been a digimon like him who had joined the ranks of the Demon Lords; a Lucemon who also had access to the Digital Hazard and showed no restraint in using it upon his enemies. Was that the path that he was going to go down to one day? A dragon rose to become a knight while the angel fell?

Closing his hand into a fist, Lucemon swore that it would not come to that. Not _ever_ if he had anything to say about it. Regardless of the fact that he had destroyed a digimon who had attempted to redeem himself he still believed that he had done the right thing in eliminating a potential threat, though he was willing to admit that perhaps, just perhaps that he had made a gross error in his doing so. And now there was another one out there, and potentially it was even more dangerous then the first one because this version was more _primal_ , more viral in its instincts and would most likely turn to anything to ensure its survival. And that included the Digital Hazard.

Lucemon wondered if his actions were responsible for bringing this new version of the Great Beast into existence, and if so, how was it accomplished?

Again Lucemon's thoughts turned towards the boy who had been the Tamer of the same creature and he frowned. Had he not been feeling so drained of his energy right now he would most certainly have gone to find the child immediately. However, the day had been extremely taxing for him. Tomorrow. Tomorrow he would hunt down this _BlackGuilmon_ and destroy it, and anyone else that stood in his way. And the boy… he wasn't sure what the boy's relationship to both vessels of the Hazard, but he was certain that he needed to find out what it was and put a stop to it before something like this happened again.

Looking up at the ceiling, Lucemon felt his eyelids grow heavy and he closed them, his mind drifting off towards sleep.

* * *

The last rays of the fading daylight touched the city of Shinjuku as the sun began to dip beneath the horizon, signaling the end to yet another day. A time of rest, a period of renewal before a new day was born, a circle of life that never ended. For one person though, the desire for rest was never stronger, though its arrival for him was never farther from sight. Standing at a window in one of the many hallways of Hypnos, Takato looked out over the city that he called his home, and behind him his friends stood, each of them trying to find something to say in the wake of their meeting with Yamaki, and Takato's confession to having brought to life a dark, twisted version of his best friend. The initial reaction had been, as Takato had expected, been shock and almost outright denial from Terriermon, Kenta, and Kazu, but once they realized that Takato was telling the truth they had lapsed into silence. Even Henry had found the revelation a little _disquieting_ , but he had listened to Takato's explanation and had asked for his reasons for doing what he did and, almost to Takato's surprise, accepted them though not without any reservations. Ryo, like most of the people in the room, was stunned at hearing this, having not expected Takato to do such a thing, though after hearing Takato out and reflecting on what Lucemon had told him earlier his surprise vanished and it was replaced by an acceptance of the situation as it stood. Mentally he fully understood the boy's reasons for doing what he did, even though he didn't approve of it. Ryo, being very pragmatic and desiring to keep Takato off the hot seat as much as possible until an appropriate time could be found to deal with the consequences of Takato's actions and its affects on all of them, shifted the meeting back to its intended purpose, which, after stories were exchanged, was to decide what to do about the situations that had arisen. Kazu and Kenta though had very little to say on the matter, only speaking when the conversation was brought back to Lucemon and how to deal with him as well as the new version of Guilmon that was now roaming Shinjuku Park. Capturing the _BlackGuilmon_ was deemed to be high priority, and should Lucemon become involved then there was no doubt that any contact with him would turn violent and he would have to be deleted. Yamaki advised that the Tamers not be alone should they engage the angelic digimon, for any confrontation would no doubt lead to another loss for their side, and this advice was meant especially for Kazu and Kenta, who were inexperienced in comparison in their roles as Tamers, and this went double for Kazu who's partner was at the present stuck at the Champion level and could not digivolve further.

The most unnerving part of the whole meeting for Takato, interestingly enough, did not come from his telling the others what he did. That had surprisingly left him feeling a little bit better if not shaken, as though he had gotten a heavy weight off his chest. What was distressing was what Ryo had to say on his encounter with Lucemon. The digimon had made it quite clear to him that he had specifically targeted Guilmon upon entering the real world, calling him the _Great Beast, the Bearer of the Digital Hazard,_ and _Megidramon_. This last had caught everyone's attention and all of a sudden the pieces to the puzzle came together for them all. For those who were unfamiliar with the story, namely Yamaki and Ryo, the story of Megidramon's birth and the arrival of Gallantmon had to be told and explained in detail in order to help them fully understand what had happened that day. Beelzemon's deleting Leomon and loading his data, stating his desire to kill them all, Takato's anger and refusal to give up even though WarGrowlmon was being beaten into the dirt no matter how hard he fought, and their combined desire to make Beelzemon pay for what he had done led to Takato doing the unthinkable. The forcing of a digivolution.

Takato had taken up the telling of the tale, as he felt that it fell to him to do so. It was after all, his experience, one of the worst days of his life. Losing Leomon to someone that he once thought of as a friend, watching Jeri descend into a whirlpool of grief, and then creating Megidramon… and yet in the shadow of one of his greatest mistakes he had been able to redeem himself when he and Guilmon merged to become Gallantmon.

_Looks like those days are over,_ thought Takato as he continued to look out the window, reflecting back on the meeting. He wished that none of this had happened, that Lucemon had never come to the real world. No… he wished that he hadn't forced Guilmon to become the monster, Megidramon. In his rage and anger he hadn't stopped to think about the consequences of such an action, of what would happen if he couldn't control himself, and now, just like he did when he kneeled before the defeated form of Megidramon he thought:

_Now I know…_

A hand fell on Takato's shoulder as behind him, the sound of an elevator door _dinging_ reached his ears. Turning Takato came face to face with Henry, who was wearing a sympathetic and understanding expression. Seeing it reflected in the faces of all the others gathered around him, Takato felt as though he could hate himself right now.

_I don't deserve to have such friends…_ he thought to himself as another weight, that of the dog-bunny digimon known as Terriermon settled on his other shoulder and wrapped his ears around him in a gesture akin to an embrace.

"Momentai," Terriermon said quietly trying to lift the boys spirits, and Takato forced a smile onto his face

"C'mon Takato. Let's go home," said Henry with a soft smile.

Takato nodded numbly as the Tamers and the digimon who had been able to enter the building began to file into the elevator. Kazu came up to him and threw an arm around the former goggle-wearing boy's shoulder, looking rather uncomfortable with the gesture but desiring to show Takato that even with what happened he was still willing to stand by his side and would continue to do so no matter what happened. Kenta and MarineAngemon gave him a worried smile, and in them Takato could see the desire to maintain their friendship, for which he was immensely grateful. Ryo, though difficult to ascertain how he viewed him and the circumstances that Takato had found himself in, gave the boy a nod and, after a brief moment, a small, comforting smile, as did Renamon, only without the smile, but with the lack of any coldness in her eyes, holding only warmth and friendship in their azure depths, Takato felt that even though he didn't believe that he could make up for what he had done, he was grateful that his friends were there to support him, just like they had from the beginning.

As the elevator doors closed and the car jerked once and began its decent, Takato felt Rika's fingers brush against his, clasping them into her hand for a moment before falling away, her face never once betraying that she had done anything. Still, the feeling of worry that he had felt upon entering the meeting room earlier, in spite of his friend's assurances, did not entirely leave him. There was still much to do, and tomorrow they would have the task of finding the _BlackGuilmon_ and facing the possibility of fighting Lucemon, neither of which Takato was too keen on even though and especially because Yamaki had told him that he was _not_ to get involved, as he no longer had a partner. He just felt that he had to do something.

Takato sighed mentally. Tomorrow was another day…

* * *

Yamaki sat back in his chair and took off his sunglasses, rubbing the bridge of his nose as he felt the faint pains of stress begin to steal over his body. The meeting had gone better then he had expected, and now they had a halfway decent plan of trying to capture the _BlackGuilmon_ , though for what purposes he didn't fully explain to the children. He'd let them work that out on their own, but for the most part, he didn't want them to get their hopes up in regards to what the _BlackGuilmon_ would mean for Takato, and possibly for the original Guilmon as well. That is, if what Shibumi had planned worked out well.

Sighing Yamaki's right hand reflexively flicked open a lighter that wasn't there and he frowned at it before bringing it to rest on the arm of his chair. He'd have Riley and Tally pull a double shift tonight to keep an eye out for Shinjuku's two _guests_ , and have his own ground troops scour the area for any sign of their quarry. He doubted that they'd be able to find anything though, and if they did the likelihood of their being able to contain either of the two digimon in any way that didn't cause property damage or loss of life was extremely low. Perhaps it would be best if he waited for the Tamers to be let out of school tomorrow before proceeding with this plan, or better yet, try and work something out with their teachers and respective families. He didn't like mixing work with the Tamer's personal lives, but if Lucemon was as dangerous as the Tamers said he was, the loss of Guilmon certainly adding credibility to their statements, then he would have to do just that. A Wild digimon as powerful as Lucemon could not be allowed to run rampant in Shinjuku. If only Shibumi wasn't having his staff making modifications to the Juggernaut program…

Yamaki narrowed his eyes as he discarded the idea. He knew full well the consequences of using Juggernaut. Besides, with the Tamers and Hypnos working together, they didn't need the Juggernaut program to deal with the majority of digital threats that spilled forth from the digital world.

Picking up the phone on his desk, Yamaki began making some phone calls.

* * *

The Tamers traveled together for a short distance before splitting apart to make their respective ways home. Rika and Ryo in one direction, Kazu and Kenta in another while Henry with Terriermon escorted Takato home. The two boys walked side by side in silence for a moment before Henry spoke up.

"So… how're you holding up?" Henry asked.

Takato was quiet for a second, giving the question the weighty consideration that it deserved before answering.

"I don't know," he said finally. "I wish I could say that things were okay, but they're not. Guilmon's…" Takato paused and swallowed painfully at a lump in his throat. "Guilmon's gone because of a mistake that I made and… and then I went and made another mistake…"

Henry put a hand on Takato's shoulder, his face softening at the pain that Takato had been made to endure these past few days.

"Takato, you really shouldn't heap all the blame on yourself over what happened. For _either_ case. What happened in the digital world was completely beyond your control. In case you forgot, Beelzemon was trying to destroy us at the time and nothing that we did was stopping him. These things happen, but the important thing is you pulled back when it counted. Beelzemon may not have shown the same restraint that you did…"

"Even though you did turn Guilmon into a world destroying Virus," spoke up Terriermon almost by reflex before clasping his tiny hands over his mouth in shock. Takato's face fell a little at those words.

"Sorry Takato," said Terriermon looking ashamed now. "I didn't mean it…"

"Terriermon," began Henry, not at all amused at his partner's attempt at sarcasm, even if it wasn't intended. "Remember what I keep telling you about _tact_?"

"Sorry Henry. I guess I forgot…"

Henry sighed before turning back to Takato, who was smiling slightly at the two, glad to see that even with everything that had happened this past week, at least those two had managed to carry some sense of normalcy between them, for which Takato was glad to see.

"Like I was saying," said Henry, eying Terriermon carefully as he resumed his speech. "Beelzemon may not have shown the same restraint that you did, like when you and Guilmon spared him at Jeri's request, he became our friend in the end even though we knew full well what he did. I guess what I'm trying to say is, that no matter what you did, you're still our friend and we'll still be there for you even after this is all over. Just try not to forget that okay?"

Takato paused in his stride and looked up at the sky, taking note of the first stars and planets that were able to shine down on Shinjuku now that the sun's light was fading, thinking over what Henry had said.

_I wish that none of this had happened,_ thought Takato. _I wish that Guilmon was still here with me… together like we had promised, but I can't change what Lucemon did to him. There isn't going to be a miracle that brings back my friend this time… all I have left now is my D-Arc, my memories, and my friends to help me get through this._

Takato clenched one fist tightly.

_Henry's right. I can't just quit on everything just because of the mistakes that I made, and I shouldn't believe that my friends are going to forget about me just because I'm no longer a Tamer, and I shouldn't abandon them either. Rika was right. I've been wallowing in too much self-pity to remember the important things in life. Guilmon would have wanted me to move on and at least try to be happy._

_Guilmon… I'm so sorry boy. But I promise that I'll make it up to you. Just because we're no longer together doesn't mean that we're not in spirit. I'll live for you Guilmon. For you and for my friends._

Takato's face relaxed and a tear traced a path down his left cheek, only this time rather then a tear of pain it was one of relief. Wiping it away, Takato turned to Henry and Terriermon and smiled what had to be his first true smile in days.

"Thanks Henry. Thanks Terriermon…"

"Don't mention it," said Henry smiling, and Terriermon gave the boy one of his own. The three friends nodded and continued their journey to the Matsuki Bakery.

* * *

Like Henry and Takato, Kazu and Kenta walked in silence, each of them wrapped up in their individual thoughts. Kenta's being more focused on what he had learned today and how Takato was doing. Having lost his partner and then create a dark version of him while hoping that he was going to bring back the one friend that had been closest to him in every sense of the term _friendship_ and beyond couldn't have been an easy thing to deal with. He had seen Takato spiral down the well of sadness and depression in a similar way to what had happened to Jeri when she had lost Leomon, and it had been distressing to see occur again. Of all the people that Kenta had known, Takato, right next to Henry and Rika, had seemed the least likely to suffer such a breakdown. He almost always smiled, and even when he didn't there was a depth of emotion in his heart that always seemed that it could get Takato through even the toughest of times, no matter what they were. But then, Takato did lose Guilmon, and as it had been stated on numerous occasions, Takato and Guilmon were _very_ close, perhaps the closest out of any of Tamers with their partners.

For Kazu, his thoughts were turned more towards his feeling of inability and helplessness to help Takato. Earlier Yamaki had discouraged him from engaging Lucemon in battle should he come into contact with the powerful angelic digimon, as his partners power level was not up to par with the Rookie, despite the obvious difference in level, and Guardromon's type disadvantage didn't help swing the court in their favor either. Looking over his shoulder at the massive android as his metal feet clanked on the ground beneath him, Kazu reflected on that feeling of helplessness, and how he had felt the same emotion back in the battle against Beelzemon when Leomon had been destroyed and Takato had lost his cool, thereby creating Megidramon. Kazu didn't blame Takato for wanting to bring back Guilmon, even if the path he had chosen to do so was not exactly the wisest of moves, but who was he to judge? He wasn't exactly renown for making smart moves himself, and his scores in Ms. Asagi's class more than proved that fact.

_I hadn't been able to do much to fight Beelzemon or D-Reaper,_ thought Kazu as he stuffed his hands into his pockets and looked down at the path that he trod upon. _Sure, I had some moments where I shined, but let's face it; I'm out of my league more often then not, and because of that I feel that I just get in the way. Funny how it took Takato losing Guilmon to make me see that. I'd make myself depressed because of this but that wouldn't do anything. I have to find a way to help Takato, and not only that, help the others when they need someone to be there for 'em. As much as I hate to admit it, this is the real deal and maybe the time for jokes is over…_

"Kazu?"

The visor-wearing boy looked over at Kenta and blinked, his thoughts broken and scattered at the interruption.

"Yeah, what's up?"

Kenta blanched.

"Well… it's just… you've been so quiet lately. You've hardly said a word since we left Hypnos."

"So?" Replied Kazu a little gruffly as he took his hands out of his pockets and folded them behind his head. "It's not like you've been going up to bat to say much either."

"Sorry," said Kenta as he looked away. "It's just… I'm worried, you know? A lot's been happening this week and our friends just keep getting hurt…"

"I know," said Kazu, feeling a little frustrated himself at everything that had happened in so short a time.

"…And I wish that there was something more we could do about it."

"You don't know the half of it," muttered Kazu, causing his spectacle-wearing friend to look up at him with one raised eyebrow.

"Huh?"

"I said I know how you feel, Chumly, and we're going to do something tomorrow remember? First we find that BlackGuilmon and bring him back to Hypnos, and then we find Lucemon and give him a thorough pounding. Well… maybe not necessarily in that order but still…"

"Hmmm…"

"What? You don't think that we can do this?"

Kenta shook his head.

"No, it's not that. It's just… I'm getting sick of all this fighting. I remember what Rika said once to Jeri about how she didn't think that fighting was any fun anymore and I'm starting to see what she meant by that. People just end up getting hurt, or killed. Why do we have to do stuff like this?"

From out of Kenta's shirt poked the familiar face of MarineAngemon and he looked up at Kenta with wide, sad eyes.

"Puh?" The pink fairy digimon said and Kenta gave him a small smile. Even Kazu smiled a little at it.

"Much as I hate to admit it," said Kazu quietly after a moment. "But Rika does have a point there. But it's not like we can ignore these things, or else people's lives will get trampled on by those who don't care about what happens to others. Someone's got to make a stand Chumly, and I'd rather take that stand then let everything be taken away from us. Now if the other side of the fence could only stop being so aggressive and leave us alone, then we wouldn't have to fight."

"Wow Kazu," said Kenta smiling at his human friend. "That was deep…"

"Certainly brought a tear to my eye," piped in Guardromon, sounding like he was a little emotional from Kazu's speech. Kazu sighed in exaspiration. There was just too much touchy feely stuff going on right now.

"Guardromon, first off you don't even _have_ tear ducts, and if you did you'd get all rusty and then I'd have to fix you. Kenta, don't tell me you're going to start getting emotional on me, 'cause I don't think that I can take that right now…"

"You're just saying that 'cause you don't want to admit that you have a soft spot," laughed Kenta as he elbowed his friend in a joking manner. Kazu glowered.

"Do not! And just suggesting that I do makes you crazier then a Salami Sandwich!"

"Crazier then…" Began Guardromon, only to be cut off by Kazu.

"Hey! What'd I tell you about getting your own lines?"

Laughter filled the park, lighting up the two Tamers and digimon's hearts, lifting them up out of the shadow of the meeting at Hypnos, but the shadow would continue to be cast upon them for some time to come, and it would leave its mark on each of them.

* * *

Rika and Ryo walked through the park, flanked by Renamon and Cyberdramon. Though Ryo could have flown home courtesy of his partner, right now he felt the need to just walk through the park and seeing as how Rika was going through that area he decided to walk with her for a short distance. Not to her home mind you, as she would never have consented to that. Of course she didn't consent to his walking with her either, but she didn't say that he couldn't do so. It was just one of those things where you made a decision and see where it took you. For the moment, neither of them said a word between them, and Ryo was content to let the silence reign. He had a lot on his mind, and just by looking at Rika's face he could tell that so did she. No surprise there. She and Renamon had seen and fought a digimon that looked like a dead friend, and it had tried to take out Takato as well, who was one of her closest friends, a friend who had experienced a pretty traumatic loss not all that long ago. Something like that tended to weigh pretty heavily on the mind.

Ryo looked up at the sky, taking note of the full moon that had risen in the sky, partially obscured by the tree limbs. It glowed with a mysterious light around it that calmed his soul, and for a time, helped him forget that there was anything wrong in the world. Ryo sighed at it, causing Rika to look at him, as though noticing his presence for the first time. Rika frowned slightly.

"Shouldn't you be going home by now?" The fiery haired Tamer asked, crossing her arms and closing her eyes as the pair continued to walk through the park. Ryo looked at Rika, blinking in surprise for a moment before grinning.

"I see that you're talking to me again," he joked. Rika snorted.

"And you're not answering my question."

Ryo shrugged.

"I'm in no particular hurry," he said simply. "And after everything that's been happening lately I could use a pleasant stroll through the park."

Rika continued to walk, not saying anything, but had reopened her eyes. Ryo glanced at them, violet irises reflecting the soft light of the moon. They looked like they were lost in deep thought, and it gave her a look of maturity. Not that she hadn't looked that way before. She had always carried that sense of maturity and calm professionalism about her with ease, but this time… somehow it seemed different about her. It was as if Ryo was actually seeing something about her that rarely let itself be known to the rest of the world, even to those who were closest to her. Ryo smiled at it mentally before looking away.

"I sure hope Takato's going to be all right," Ryo said after a moment. Rika looked over at him with questioning eye.

"He'll be okay," responded Rika. "He's just got some issues that he's got to work through, that's all."

Rika's confidence in the boy that was her friend, as strong as it sounded, may have fooled someone like Kazu or Kenta, but not Ryo. In the short amount of time that they had known each other, even given their infrequent conversations, usually restricted to Tamer's meetings, a battle against a digimon, or a birthday party, Ryo had gotten to know some things about the red haired Tamer. No details really like personal things such as memories, but he was getting an idea as to what went on in her head, and how she was feeling. She was worried about Takato that much was certain, belying her statement to the contrary. Perfectly understandable. He was worried about him too, and he didn't want anything to happen to him even if he didn't know him as well as the others did.

"Yeah," said Ryo. "But it's not easy seeing him like this is it? Back during D-Reaper I remember how you were concerned over Jeri after she lost her partner and now the same things happened to Takato. It's not easy to accept…"

"As if I didn't already know that," said Rika a little irritably. "Why don't you tell me something that I _don't_ know?"

Once again a silence fell between them. Silence that made Rika feel a little uncomfortable with its tension as it hung in the air.

"Sorry," she said after a moment, and Ryo looked up at her, raising a questioning eyebrow.

"For what?" He asked, honestly surprised. Rika was apologizing to him? _That_ was a new one, though why she was doing so was certainly beyond him.

Rika shifted her arms carefully, as though doing so would help her find some inspiration.

"About… earlier this week. The way that I've been acting towards you… because you kept me from destroying Lucemon. I know that you meant well, and that you didn't know what was going on at the time but… I just couldn't help but feel angry with you for stopping me. I really wanted to make Lucemon pay for what he did. I hate seeing my friends get put through that sort of thing, and I wish that Takato and Jeri never had to go through that, that no one ever had to go through that…"

The pair turned a corner as they continued their conversation.

"Rika," said Ryo. "You know that you don't have to apologize for that. I wasn't all that surprised in fact once I was clued in on what had happened. You care a lot about your friends, a lot more then you let on sometimes and it surprises me what forms that your bond with them can take. Like that one time when you first biomerged with Renamon to become Sakuyamon. That moment right there I think really defined how you felt about things, and about your friends, like when you had asked Takato if he was all right after you sealed the chaos in that canyon…"

Rika frowned at that. Did she ask Takato if he was all right? She thought that she had been addressing all of them, but she had been so caught up in the feeling of being Sakuyamon that anything could have happened she supposed. Either way, it wasn't important. Shrugging the thought and memory aside Rika tried to focus on other things, but Ryo's recollection brought back one of her own. The image of her dream from last night, of Takato rescanning his drawings of Guilmon and the look of sadness that had been on his face. She still didn't understand why she had that dream in the first place. At first she had thought that it was just born from her concern over Takato because of his losing Guilmon but after what had happened today, seeing what she had seen and hearing Takato admit that he had done the exact same thing that she had dreamt… Rika sighed mentally. It was all very confusing right now, and the reality of the dream didn't help things at all. But there was no denying that it had happened, just like it looked like there was no denying that Takato had one about her nearly a year ago, which was something else that she didn't feel at all comfortable with.

_Maybe I just need to rest or something,_ she thought before frowning at her thoughts.

_Great. Now I'm starting to sound like Gogglehead…_

Rika turned another corner and came to a halt in front of a large gate, causing Ryo to stop in his tracks and look at her in questioningly.

"Well," began Rika. "This is where I stop…"

Ryo blinked, realizing what had just happened. He grinned humorously at Rika, who raised an eyebrow at him, wondering what was going through his mind right now.

"Looks like I just walked you home, Rika."

Rika frowned at the Legendary Tamer and _hmmphed_ , turning to him and crossing her arms.

"Great. First time we talk in almost a week and _this_ happens. I need to start carrying mace or something…"

"Ah… you don't mean that…"

Rika held onto her harsh look for a moment longer before her expression softened.

"Well, it's not exactly how I would have chosen to end my evening."

"I wasn't expecting to either," admitted Ryo. "But I gotta admit, it was rather nice for a change. We should do it again sometime."

Rika smirked at him.

"Don't get any funny ideas," Rika said as she put one hand on a door handle and pushed the gate open. "We're just friends…"

_"Friends?"_ Prompted Ryo, his grin becoming teasing.

"Acquaintances then," the girl replied as she stepped through into her home's garden. "Good night Ryo."

"Good night Wildcat," said Ryo softly before he turned to face Cyberdramon and began to climb onto his shoulder. Taking one last look at the entrance to Rika's home, Ryo smiled and then Cyberdramon took off into the evening sky.

* * *

Takato and Henry came to a halt in front of the Matsuki Bakery and bid each other goodbye. After receiving one last _Momentai_ from Terriermon, Takato turned towards his home; his heart feeling a little bit lighter then it had been in days. Carefully opening up the door to his family's home, Takato let himself in and took off his shoes. Looking around curiously, Takato noticed that neither of his parents was at the cash register. In fact, there weren't any customers either for that matter, which was odd since all the lights were still on.

_Is something going on?_ Takato wondered as he padded in the direction of the kitchen, a feeling of apprehension coursing through his body as he neared the room that his parents made their famous lines of bread and cakes. Upon entering it, Takato's eyes widened in surprise as he saw not only the concerned and relieved faces of his parents, but also those of Jeri and Impmon as well.

Takato felt that old tension from earlier come back, this time with a vengeance.


	26. Hazard's Confessions: Part 3

Takato stood in the doorway to the kitchen, a nervous smile playing on his face, all but belying the sudden pitfall that his heart had taken upon entering the room and finding not only his parents but also Jeri and Impmon, the latter of which looked to have been in a pretty fierce scuffle of sorts. Takato could only imagine with what Impmon had gotten into a fight with, and given his ability to digivolve to the Mega level, he doubted that it was a dog. In short, it didn't take a computer genius to know what this was about. One look at their faces; his parents, Jeri's, and Impmon's was enough to confirm it.

_They know,_ thought Takato becoming crestfallen. If it weren't for Impmon's disheveled appearance he would have thought that Yamaki had phoned them and apprised them of the situation. He wouldn't have put it past the blonde haired Hypnos agent. In fact, in the back of his mind he guessed that he half expected it.

Takato's father was the first to speak to the boy.

"Takato? May we see you for a moment? We'd like to talk to you about something."

Takato nodded and walked inside the kitchen's embrace, coming up to the table that his parents and two friends sat around, pulled back a chair and set himself down in it, looking over each of them, gauging their reactions. His father looked at him with worry, and a touch of confusion to go along with it, as though he had just experienced something that went outside his normal experiences (though by now he should have had enough of that because of his son's association with digital life forms to have gotten used to any oddities that popped up in his life) and needed it explained to him. The fact that this look was directed at him especially did not comfort Takato all that much, but the knowledge that his father would hear him out as he had the first time when he had introduced Guilmon to his family helped boost his courage a little bit.

The expression on his mothers face however went a long way towards damaging that new foundation however. If there was one thing that Takato feared, or disliked, it was either disappointing his mother or making her worry about him because of something that he did or intended to do. She had, over time, eased up on him and down played this particular trait during the time that she had been made aware of Guilmon's existence and his duties as a Tamer having seen for herself the evidence that he was in fact growing up, right under her nose no matter how much she wished that she could protect him from all the dangers that he faced and would continue to face in his life, whether or not he remained as a Tamer. Now… now something in her eyes told Takato that all her old worries had come back in full force, even though they were tempered back by her knowledge that Takato was no longer the baby that she strived to protect. However, as a mother, and a mother of a child who had at one time been a Tamer and had recently experienced a terrible loss, she was far more likely to do whatever it took to protect her child, even if it was from himself, and there is very little in the universe stronger then the love that a parent has for their own offspring, which Takato himself could testify too, being something of a parent in having created Guilmon.

His eyes sliding over to Impmon, Takato mentally winced at the injuries that the little digimon had sustained. Again he wondered what it was that had happened, but barring an explanation as to how they came into existence Takato could only guess as to how he had received them. Though he had an idea as to what had happened. A very good idea, and once again Takato felt as though he were to blame for it. Impmon was his friend and he had been hurt because of him, because of his actions (even if Impmon was largely responsible for Megidramon's appearance). He should have tried harder to be his friend, and be understanding rather then brush him off as being an occasional annoyance.

_Stop it!_ Takato thought to himself fiercely. _What's done is done, and everything was… it was just beyond our control at the time. There was so much that we really didn't understand at the time and we understood each other even less. Even Lucemon…_

Takato paused at the name, remembering his first, and so far only encounter with the angelic digimon that had attacked him and Guilmon. After a fashion he did understand why Lucemon had done what he did, but how could he accept it? Guilmon was his friend, and Lucemon didn't care in the least for that, or even care about knowing everything that had happened that led up to Takato letting loose his anger and forcing Guilmon to digivolve. All that mattered was making sure that a threat was eliminated, and he had done so in the same, cold, calculating manner as the malevolent program D-Reaper had when it was attempting to destroy both the real and digital worlds. That attitude had been the core reason why Takato and his friends didn't hesitate to destroy D-Reaper or show it any mercy. There was no understanding, no reasoning…

Did Lucemon feel the same way?

Takato had seen the images of the devastated digital world during the war with D-Reaper. A lot had been lost in the battle to defeat the dangerous rogue program, and if Lucemon had been a part of that conflict, no doubt the experience would have left him with the desire to see to it that something of that nature _never_ happen again, and from what he remembered about Megidramon…

Yes, Takato could easily understand where Lucemon was coming from when he had fought the angel.

_If only there was some way to keep my friends from having to feel this,_ thought Takato as he studied Impmon carefully, meeting his green eyes, seeing the same expression that he had seen with his father. A need to understand something and know what reasons there were for it happening, whatever it was.

Looking over at Jeri, Takato could tell that it was the same with her as well.

"So…" began Takato, swallowing nervously. "What is it that you want to talk to me about?"

Takato could almost feel the weight of the gaze of all those gathered around him, Jeri's and Impmon's especially since they would be far closer to the source of everything that had happened, even if it had been unintended. If they knew the full extent of why Lucemon had attacked Guilmon… Takato shuddered. He didn't want them to know. He didn't want them to feel responsible, and yet he felt powerless to prevent it.

Yet, he realized now that holding back from them, from all his friends, was central to the rash decision that he had made last night and now he had to deal with those consequences as well.

Takehiro sighed and glanced over his shoulder at his wife, Mei who, without taking her gaze off of Takato, reached over and squeezed her husband's hand. The elder male smiled grimly before looking back at Takato.

"Son… earlier today I went down to the park to see if you were around and… I came across something that was in Guilmon's old home…"

Takato stiffened in shock, his eyes widening in surprise at the revelation. He didn't expect that, but in a way he felt as though he shouldn't be at all surprised. The day's irony hadn't yet come to an end it seemed…

"No…" began Takato, earning him a concerned glance from Jeri, her face softening as she looked at him.

"I don't know how to explain it," continued Takehiro. "And I'd like to understand just what it was that happened back there. We all do. What was at Guilmon's home…"

"I already know," whispered Takato as he looked down at the surface of the table, and his father paused as everyone let this sink in and waited for Takato to elaborate. Takato dry swallowed, his mouth suddenly feeling very parched right now, and fighting down the wave of nervousness that had been building since he had entered the bakery, and had been present even before then following his worry about how the other Tamers would react to the news.

"I already know…" said Takato as he quickly picked up the thread of conversation that had taken a brief pause. "…Because I created him…"

The pause that had been in the air earlier now settled firmly in the room, silencing everyone as the news left them stunned. Takato waited, almost hoping, _wishing_ that someone would say something, anything so as to end the silence that hung around them all like a death sentence. After a few seconds of nothing being said, Impmon began to make odd, choking sounds, as though he were struggling to find the words that he wanted, or the strength necessary to say them, but at present was failing. Hardly a surprise really. The others had reacted in much the same way. Before Impmon, or Takato's parents could say anything to breach the quiet, Jeri's soft voice spoke up, and Takato felt his heart clench, dreading whatever she had to say while at the same time relieved that she was saying something.

"Takato? What do you mean by _'you created him'_?"

"Yeah!" Exclaimed Impmon finally, getting to his feet on the stool that he had been standing on so as to get a better view of the former leader of the Tamers. "You care to explain why there was a dark colored version of ol' Pineapple Head living in Guilmon's old den and why he felt the need to try and blast your dad?"

"Wha…?" Takato looked over at Impmon in surprise before glancing at his father and looking him over to make sure that he was okay, to find to his own relief that this was the case. He almost couldn't believe that the _BlackGuilmon_ had attacked his father, but then, he _did_ try to destroy him earlier at the construction site…

"Yeah. That's right," said Impmon, breaking Takato's line of thought. "That version of Guilmon took a go at your father. Lucky thing that I was there or else… well, I'm sure that you can get the idea. Now, what I want to know is why you say that you're responsible for him even _being_ here…!"

"Impmon!" Exclaimed Jeri, giving the rookie a small glare that told him to let Takato explain himself before asking any more questions. Grumbling slightly Impmon settled back down on his stool and looked at Takato, patiently waiting for the boy to say something. Takato's father got up, attracting everyone's attention as he went over to a cupboard and took out a cup, moving over to the stove that had a kettle of tea brewing and pouring some of the steaming liquid into the drinking cup before walking back over to the table and setting it down in front of Takato.

"Here," Takehiro said softly. "Drink this."

With a shaky breath, Takato took the ceramic cup from his father and raised it to his lips, drinking the hot water slowly and carefully before setting it down on the table, feeling some sense of relaxation spread through him as he began to gather his thoughts. A moment later Jeri rested a hand on one of his own. Looking up, Takato saw Jeri giving him a comforting smile that just seemed to melt away all of his worries. Smiling back, and blushing lightly, Takato looked down at the tea in the cup, taking a moment longer to sort things out before beginning his tale.

"You have to understand," began Takato, almost quietly at first before looking up and meeting their gaze. If nothing else he was going to try and face this as he faced everything else as a Tamer. He had had enough of drowning himself in sorrow and self-pity. It was time to be strong here, regardless of what they thought about his actions. Rika was right. He _had_ been feeling sorry for himself too much to stand up on his own two feet when it mattered.

_Not this time,_ thought Takato.

"You have to understand that I really missed Guilmon," continued Takato plainly. "And that I thought that I could bring him back…"

Everyone present in the room waited patiently for Takato to finish.

* * *

The time was late. That is to say, past nine O'clock, which for a fair majority of children, particularly ones as young as the Tamers were, was an especially late time for them, especially since they had school to attend the next day and every bit of rest was required in order to get through it without falling asleep in class and thus, avoid receiving detention as a result. However after the first couple of hours, it had become apparent that hearing out Takato's story, the events at Hypnos, Impmon and Takehiro's encounter with the _BlackGuilmon_ and Lucemon, would take a lot longer then everyone had initially thought. Takehiro and Mei had offered to escort Jeri home once it started to get dark out, but she steadily refused, opting instead to phone her family and tell them that she would be home a lot later from the Matsuki's then she was expecting to be, both her father and step father understanding her unspoken reasons for doing so, as she had been making it a regular habit and not wanting to discourage her helping Takato get through his ordeal. If nothing else they approved of it and wished her the best of luck.

 Jeri cradled the bakery's phone for a moment, listening to the dial tone before hanging it up on its receiver and heading back into the kitchen. Takato's parents weren't there, as they were busy performing last minute jobs in preparation to close down the bakery for the evening, as well as just to have something to do just to take their minds off of things. They had learned quite a lot in a short amount of time, and upon Takehiro's advice to Mei it was best that they let some time pass before deciding what to do, if anything at all should be done, about it, or trust in Hypnos and Takato's friends to handle things and then decide how to react to it afterwards.

Takato was in the kitchen, still talking with Impmon about the day's events, though this time his voice lacked the urgency, suspicion, and intensity to understand everything that had happened, having now come to that point after hearing what Takato had to say for himself. It really was understandable, and even Jeri thought so. That didn't make Takato trying to bring back Guilmon without fully knowing the outcome of doing so right, if it could even work at all either, but given the circumstances, and her and Impmon's relationship with the boy, it only seemed natural to view it from a sympathetic viewpoint.

Impmon saw Jeri enter the kitchen and nodded to her, and a glance from the brown haired girl silently told him that she wanted some time alone with Takato. Respecting Jeri's unspoken wishes Impmon hopped down from his seat and strode out of the bakery's kitchen, offering Takato a look of commiseration before departing.

In the silence of the kitchen, Jeri moved a stool closer to Takato and sat down next to him.

"You okay, Takato?" Jeri asked quietly.

"Yeah," said Takato softly. "I'm…"

Takato paused, and then sighed. It had become too much of a habit to just say that he was _doing fine_ whenever he had been asked that question, left over from when he had to keep Guilmon a secret, having to shoulder the responsibilities of being a Tamer, keep up a strong image during the battles against the Devas and the journey's throughout the digital world so that no one would have to worry so long as he appeared to not worry himself… it was a habit that had eased a bit when his family and friends had become aware of the existence of digimon and he had to hide things from them less, but for the most part he felt that there were still some things that he had to face alone, just as he had wanted to carry the burden of Guilmon's death and the circumstances surrounding it on his own without involving anyone, especially Impmon and Jeri, and where had it gotten him? Because he had felt that he couldn't share the weight of his friend's death the pain had all but crushed him and he had gone and made a rash decision, one that he would feel the repercussions from for quite some time to come.

"No," Takato said after a couple seconds of introspection, and upon realizing that he didn't want to lie to Jeri, Takato felt that the time had come to finally open up, like he should have from the start. It was, after all, what friends were for.

"No, I'm not all right, Jeri. I've been a fool. I _acted_ like a fool. I really thought that I could bring back Guilmon and make things what they used to be… I missed him so much and all I have now is a big hole where my heart used to be. I should have guessed that I wouldn't be able to bring Guilmon back. Not the Guilmon that I first created anyway. _Nothing_ could replace him and I can't believe that I forgot that one basic fact."

Takato suddenly gave a light, forced chuckle.

"He was, after all, _one of a kind…_ "

Jeri looked at Takato softly, her eyes radiating all the love and understanding that came with deepest and strongest of friendships and reached over and gently took one of Takato's hands into her own, giving it a light squeeze. Takato looked up at Jeri and smiled at her, and Jeri smiled back.

"Takato," Jeri said, her voice just barely above a whisper as she said his name before her voice grew stronger as she continued onwards. "I know what you're going through. Leomon… my birth mother… I've experienced the kind of pain that you're going through, and I know the sort of things that it can do to you if you just bottle it up inside…"

Takato nodded, fully understanding what she meant. However unintentional it was on her part, the evolution of the program known as D-Reaper using Jeri's negative emotions from the deaths of Leomon and her mother, was a rather dramatic example of how things like anger and sorrow could affect a person's life, and Takato had experiences of his own with that as well when his rage over Leomon's death had given birth to Megidramon and nearly destroyed the digital world just so he could make Beelzemon pay for what he had done.

Jeri continued.

"You know that whatever happens to you, you don't have to face it alone. We're all going to be there for you, and we'd all like to help you if you'll let us. I know that it sounds late now, but… we all care for you Takato. You mean a lot to all of us…"

"I know," said Takato quietly. "I just wish that I remembered that. I feel like I've let you all down…"

"Takato," said Jeri, her voice becoming firm now, as though getting ready to berate the boy for even entertaining such thoughts. "You've _never_ let us down. You may stumble sometimes but everyone does that every now and then, and when you do that's what we're here for. Don't go thinking that you're a disappointment as a Tamer or as a human being because you're _not_. You've done a lot of good things in your life, and you've helped a lot of people. There aren't many that get to do the things that you've done, or even choose to do them. Just because you've made a mistake doesn't mean that you're a let down… it just shows that you're human. No different from the rest of us."

Jeri smiled at Takato again, and Takato smiled back.

"Thanks Jeri," the boy said, grateful that Jeri was there, supporting him despite what he had done. That was just like her though. Always ready to forgive someone, no matter what it was that they had done, even if it was something that had wronged her. Still, Takato wished that he could have spared her the knowledge of Lucemon's reasons for coming to the real world and destroying Guilmon. Jeri hadn't expressed much surprise when Impmon had told him about that bit of knowledge that he had gained during his fight with the celestial angel, but that didn't mean that she wasn't affected by it, and the same counted for Impmon. It was clear to him that they were both greatly disturbed by it, and would remain that way for some time to come, both of them feeling as though they had a part played in Megidramon's existence, Impmon probably more so then Jeri, but there was nothing that he could do to change that. Nothing anyone could do to change it. What was done was done, and it all remained in the past. The only thing left was to continue moving forward.

Takato's heart skipped a beat as he felt Jeri fold her arms around the boy and pull him into a hug, holding him close to her tightly as though striving to drive out the demons that had caused him so much pain to begin with. As Takato wrapped his own arms around the young girl, he felt warm tears trickling down her face as she held him, crying for him and his loss, and for the memory of Guilmon who was no longer there to be with Takato when he needed the crimson dinosaur the most.

"Oh Takato…" Jeri cried as they embraced each other, the kitchen of the Matsuki Bakery their only witness.

* * *

Takehiro had finished stacking the last of the crates and, after stretching his back to relieve the tension, headed back to the entrance to his home. Memories of the encounter with _BlackGuilmon_ and Lucemon, and later the conversation with his son, traversing their way past his minds eye as he reflected on them. Once more Takehiro wished that there was something that he could do, but unfortunately it was just out of his league as a parent and as an adult. What more could he do but trust in his son and hope that things would come out for the better? He was just a baker. He couldn't write programs, and he didn't have a digimon or a digivice either for that matter, so he couldn't involve himself directly as he would only be in the way. All he could do was give Takato his love and support…

 But then, perhaps knowing that would be enough. It had been enough in the past when Takato and his friends had gone to the digital world to rescue Calumon, and then battle D-Reaper. Things may look bad now, but that didn't necessarily mean that they would continue to do so. Things would surely brighten up in the end, right?

Except that Takehiro knew full well that the world, the real world anyway, did not operate one hundred percent on just hopes and dreams. The real world was not the kindest of places to live in. Perhaps he should just accept the facts. Guilmon was gone and he wouldn't be coming back…

_I can't think like that though,_ thought Takehiro as he stood in front of the door. _My son has proven enough times that hopes and dreams_ do _have power, even here. Maybe they can again, if we wish hard enough…_

The sound of something, perhaps a garbage can, being knocked over across the street in another alley reached Takehiro's ears. Turning he looked around, seeing nothing.

"Hello?" Mr. Matsuki called out, not quite sure knowing why. For some reason the hairs on the back of his neck were standing up, and a sense of nerves began to build up within him. Perhaps it was just leftover from the day's excitement. Yeah, that was it. Nothing more.

Shaking his head, Takehiro opened the door to his home and walked inside, wondering what events tomorrow would bring.

* * *

BlackGuilmon stared at the bakery with cold, golden eyes and tested the air with his nose. Yes, this was the place. This was where the scent was concentrated. The boy that he had encountered earlier… _this_ place was his dwelling. Here the black lizard would get his answers.

 But… there was something about the bakery. Something that held BlackGuilmon from just going up and crashing through the window and solve whatever mystery it was about the boy that held his present curiousity. Perhaps it was the presence of the familiar digimon from earlier that he sensed. The one that could digivolve. Or… perhaps it was something else. Something that made BlackGuilmon hesitate, as though not wanting to do anything that would stain the bakery that he stood before. And he had had a _perfect_ chance to get in too! When the human adult had come out, had paused upon hearing the noise of BlackGuilmon accidentally bumping into a large, metallic, cylinder shaped object and knocking it over, and when he had called out to see if anyone was there…

But of course, predators _never_ answer their prey.

_Something_ had stayed BlackGuilmon's hand, or rather his claws. He wasn't sure what, but he felt that rushing in to face the human child would _defile_ something. Something _important_. Whatever it was, the feeling was strong enough for BlackGuilmon to pause and reassess the situation.

No. He wouldn't do anything right now. He would wait. Wait until the boy was out in the open and then… then…

BlackGuilmon sat down on the ground, his cool yellow eyes reflecting the moonlight like twin, miniature, Earth-bound stars. He would get his chance soon enough… all he had to do was be patient.


	27. The New Dawn

Takato slowly opened his eyes to the bright light of the rising sun as it spilled its soft radiance into his room. Sitting up in his bed, Takato blinked his red colored eyes before taking a look around his room.

_It's all the same,_ Takato thought, though not really knowing why he thought it to begin with. Strewn across the floor were various clothes that he owned, along with a few piles of digimon cards, toys, and other items belonging to the franchise that he had loved so much both before, and after becoming a Tamer. Tracing his gaze up to his desk, Takato took note of his gold trimmed digivice that sat on top of his old drawings of Guilmon, surrounded by other sketches of his former partner and other pictures of digimon that he had drawn in the past two years, made up or otherwise.

Takato sighed and scratched the side of his head, feeling a sense of sadness and nostalgia, yet oddly enough the sadness felt… _different_ somehow. As if it had receded since yesterday's chaotic events. Maybe finally talking about it had something to do with it, and knowing that his friends didn't hate him for what he had done. Approval was a long ways off of course, but at least they had understood. Yawning and stretching, Takato pulled back his bed covers and began to climb down the ladder. His feet touching the floor, Takato bent down and began to gather up some of his clothes as he prepared himself to face the new day. What he was going to do he didn't know. Yamaki had _advised_ him yesterday to not get involved with either the task of tracking down the _BlackGuilmon_ from yesterday, or battling Lucemon should he reveal himself to the other Tamers. He wasn't precisely fond of the idea, but what could he do?

Something in Takato though refused to just take a backseat to this. He _had_ to find a way to help out. No, he was _going_ _to_.

_Maybe if I used my digivice…_ thought Takato as he shrugged on his familiar blue hoody. As his head poked out of the top, Takato glanced back at his desk, looking at the digivice that sat on the pictures that he had drawn of Guilmon, the same ones that were used to give him life almost a year ago. Walking over to it, Takato picked up the familiar digital device and strapped it to his waist. Even if he wasn't a Tamer anymore he had to admit, it felt good to wear it. Not so much as to pretend that he still was a Tamer but rather to remind himself of Guilmon. His D-Arc had been the instrument that connected them together, and in a way it still would even though Guilmon wasn't with him, through his memories.

Takato brushed some loose strands of hair out of his eyes, and his vision rested on an all too familiar photo that sat on his desk. It was the picture that had been taken of him and his friends Henry and Rika following their adventure in Okinawa when Mephistomon attempted to destroy the world through the use of the _V-Pet_ product. As Takato stood there looking at the photo, his gaze fell on the familiar figure of Rika. It was almost ironic what had happened yesterday now that he thought about it; the arrival of the dark colored Guilmon at the same construction site that he had first discovered his best friend at, and then Rika and Renamon showing up and fighting the _BlackGuilmon_ , just like they had the very first time that they had met. It was almost like he was reliving his early days as a Tamer only this time in the reverse. The only thing that was missing was his having a dream about Rika before everything went down, but since he hadn't… well, he wasn't going to worry about it. It was probably for the best anyway. Rika hadn't at all been too thrilled to hear about him dreaming about her once. A second time wouldn't have gone over very well and she probably would have made good on her promise to _'send him to dream land for good'_ like she had all those months ago.

Setting those thoughts aside, Takato reached up towards his face to adjust his goggles, before remembering that he no longer had them anymore. Gone now. Stolen, or at least that's what he thought, but then, what else could it be? It was his own fault. He had left them out in the open, even if it was in a place that not a lot of people visited all the time there was still that chance that someone would go there. That's what he got for feeling sorry for himself and giving up on himself like he had, but really, the goggles weren't all that important. They were just something that he had used to explain to Guilmon the differences between humans and digimon, and they later became part of his Tamer's gear when entering digital fields. You could also say that it was in tribute to all the other goggle wearing leaders of the Digidestined from the TV show, but he didn't really consider himself as being in their league, or even the leader of the Tamers even if that's what it looked like to anyone who wasn't part of their group.

_Oh well,_ thought Takato in resignation. _I guess I don't need them anyway. My Taming days are over… well, at least after this one, last adventure they are. Goggles or no goggles, I've got to do something to help out my friends. I can't just sit here while they take all the risks._

_…_

_I'm going to have a very hard time adjusting when this is all over. But then, it's not like anything about this week has been an easy adjustment._

Takato glanced out the window once more, his eyes softening.

_Oh, Guilmon…_

But there was no time for entertaining his hurts. He had something important to do today, and no one was going to stop him. On that, Takato was quite adamant.

* * *

Renamon stood at the top of the Nonaka residence's roof, uncaring as to whether or not she would be seen as she watched the sun rise over the city to begin its journey anew. Renamon closed her azure eyes as the faint rays of light burst past the trees, and breathed the fresh morning air, feeling her spirit cleansing itself, preparing her for another day, one that promised to be quite _interesting_ to say the least.

 When she and Rika had parted ways with Ryo and Cyberdramon last evening, Rika had spoken to her mother and grandmother, who had informed her that Yamaki had apparently _pulled some strings_ so as to get her and her friends out of their schools for the day so as to help out with the hunt for the _BlackGuilmon_ that they had encountered earlier. Renamon frowned slightly, feeling as though a pond would when something disturbed its surface and sent ripples along it. The _BlackGuilmon_ disturbed her greatly, more so because of the resemblance that it bore to her fallen comrade to go along with its excessively savage nature and the aura of threat and of _wrongness_ that surrounded it when she had battled it. The creature that she had fought carried with it a feeling of untapped power, dangerous power that threatened to destroy her if she so much as let her guard down. It was not unlike the time in the digital world when she, Terriermon, and Guilmon entered Zhuqiaomon's fortress to confront the phoenix Sovereign or all those times that she and Rika had gone into battle against the D-Reaper and its agents as Sakuyamon. It wasn't as though there was something unnatural about the Guilmon, though perhaps she herself saw it as unnatural because of the camaraderie that she shared with Guilmon and would no doubt react the same if it had been Terriermon in Guilmon's place, but the feeling of threat, of danger had been far to strong for the vulpine digimon to ignore. And the look in its eyes when she had fought it, the strange coldness that saw her as an enemy, and the rage that lay just beneath those cold, empty depths…

It was rather strange that such a creature had been formed out of Takato, a boy who at first glance seemed to lack any of those qualities, even in the shadow of losing his best friend. If it hadn't been for the appearance of Megidramon in the digital world following Leomon's destruction at the hands of Beelzemon Renamon would have scoffed at the thought of Takato creating something like what Megidramon and _BlackGuilmon_ were.

_It makes me wonder if it would be far more worth it just to let Lucemon destroy the Guilmon,_ thought Renamon as she crossed her arms in contemplation before chasing the thought away. She had wondered about this last night as she followed her partner home, and even though the dark Guilmon had left her rather unnerved by its very existence, she didn't believe that it would be the right thing to just let Lucemon have his way with the black colored dino. Not if there was something that Shibumi, the Monster Makers, and Hypnos could do about it. Renamon herself didn't entertain the possibility that the dark Guilmon could be used in any way to revive the Guilmon that they all knew (though given the sort of things that she had seen Hypnos and the Monster Makers pull off, and if asked about it, she would say that it was well within their abilities) but that the possibility lay there, and that there was a good chance that Shibumi believed that he could pull it off (even though neither he nor Yamaki explicitly stated such a belief, Renamon could hear it in their voices), and if they believed that such a thing was possible, who was she to stand in their way?

As though on an unspoken command, Renamon leapt off of the top of the roof and somersaulted to the ground, landing in front of the pond that her Tamer would sometimes gaze at whenever she felt thoughtful about something. Standing over it, Renamon looked at her reflection and wondered about how things would go today, even though it was useless to think about it. There was no way they could predict what could happen today, be it the capture of the dark Guilmon, a battle with Lucemon, or an unexpected bio-emergence. In the end all she could do was, in Terriermon's own words, _hope for the best, but expect the worst._ An apt saying, Renamon felt, and it seemed to apply well to the situation that had developed in the past week.

The sound of the door to Rika's room being slid open caught the attention of Renamon's ears, and the vulpine smiled as the girl padded out onto the porch.

"And how are we today?" Asked the yellow furred kitsune as she turned to face her partner, glad to see that she was now up and about. Rika, still garbed in her familiar purple striped pajamas with her hair down from its usual ponytail, frowned slightly and tilted her head to one side.

"No _dreams_ last night, if that's what you mean," replied the girl simply.

"It's not," said Renamon. "How soon do you want to meet up with the others?"

Rika shrugged.

"I would imagine as soon as possible. I'm expecting Henry to give me a call when he's ready to go. Knowing him he's probably got a battle plan ready, with the city mapped out in grids or something."

Renamon chuckled.

"It's a good thing that Yamaki was _kind_ enough to let you all have a day off from school for this…"

"Hmmph." Rika crossed her arms and shifted one foot to the side, her frown deepening. "If nothing else I'll be able to give Gogglehead back his stupid goggles. With everything that's been going on I forgot to do that yesterday."

"Well, it couldn't be helped…" began Renamon, nodding in understanding, but was interrupted by the sound of a phone ringing. Rolling her eyes, Rika strode towards its source.

"Be right back…"

"Of course Rika."

* * *

"No Suzie, you can't come," stated Henry firmly as he hung up the phone, having just talked to Rika.

 "But Henwieeee…"

"Suzie," began Lopmon from next to the young Tamer. "You should listen to Henry. Remember what he told you about how strong Lucemon is and how dangerous this new… _Guilmon_ is? He just doesn't want you to get hurt…"

The young half-Chinese girl huffed in irritation. Placing her balled up hands on her hips, Suzie Wong turned to her partner.

"But I'm a Tamew too! Why can't I come? Everyone else is…"

"But the difference is they're experienced enough to handle the situation," said Henry trying to get his little sister to see his side of things.

From his perch on Henry's shoulder, Terriermon blinked.

"You're saying that Kazu is _experienced_?"

Henry sighed.

'Terriermon… it kind of ruins my point when you say things like that…"

"Sorry."

Henry got down on one knee so that he could be on the same level as Suzie as he carefully gripped her by the shoulders and turned the young Tamer around so that she could face him.

"Look Suzie. You know how we lost Guilmon because of Lucemon, and I know that you'd like to help, but… please as your brother I'm asking you to stay out of this one."

Suzie stuck her lower lip out and pouted, crossing her arms now in mock imitation of Rika as she dug in.

"But…" Suzie began but Henry didn't let her get a word in edgewise.

" _Please,_ Suzie. I know that you've earned your place among us as a Tamer," Henry's face softened and a smile crept onto his face. "You've proven that enough times in the past, especially during D-Reaper. You make me _proud_ sometimes to call you my sister…"

"Even with the Princess Pretty Pants Treatment," muttered Terriermon sarcastically, but Henry ignored him this time.

"…It's just… I don't think that I could take it if anything happened to you or Lopmon the way that it did to Guilmon and Takato, understand? You mean a lot to me Suzie and I don't want to see you get hurt. I guess that there's still too much of the protective older brother in me, but believe me when I say that it's for your own good. It's because I love you Suzie…"

"Even though _that_ can be hard sometimes," quipped Terriermon with a smirk. With a sigh of exasperation Henry reached up and rapped his partner on the top of his head with his knuckles.

"Ow!"

Suzie, who had been in deep thought throughout this last exchange, as well as trying to get a hold of her tantrum, nodded once Henry returned his gaze to her, and then, to Henry's surprise, leapt into the boys arms, doing her best to hug him with her short arms.

"Come home safe, Henwy," said Suzie, her voice breaking up as she began to sob into his vest. Looking up from over her shoulder, Henry saw his mother standing at the entry to her bedroom, looking at Henry worriedly, not wanting him to go do his duty. She could probably stop him with just a word, but… she couldn't. It was as simple as that. Henry had something important that he had to do, and she couldn't stand in his way. She _wouldn't_.

Seeing his mother smile at him softly and nod at him in approval, Henry smiled back and stroked his sister's hair.

"Don't worry Suzie," he said softly, calmly. "Terriermon and I will be back. I promise."

* * *

As Henry clicked the door to his family's apartment shut and turned to head towards the elevator, Terriermon, who had been quiet for the past five minutes, spoke up.

 "She's going to be trouble when she becomes a teenager…"

"Terriermon…"

* * *

Takato opened the door to his bakery slowly and stepped out, breathing in the fresh air deeply and smiling lightly at the bright sun that hung in the sky. Takato placed his hand over the digivice that was clipped to his pants waist, hidden just underneath his blue hoody.

  _This is it,_ Takato thought. _Here's where I go and deal with my mistakes. I may not have Guilmon with me, but I'll still find a way to help out. Guilmon would do the same thing, and I_ know _that he'd be telling me to do it also. They're my friends, and I can't let them take this on alone…_

"Takato?"

Takato _eeped_ and jerked at the familiar voice that had spoken to him. Turning, Takato saw Jeri standing at the entryway to the alley, her bag slung over her shoulders as she peered at him with curious eyes. Takato blushed.

"Um… hi Jeri… wha… _ahem…_ w-what're you doing here?"

Jeri cocked her head to one side andTakato rubbed the back of his head nervously, feeling as though he had been caught in the act, much in the way that Kazu would right before Ms. Asagi became suspicious of his antics.

"I thought that I'd stop by on my way to school and see what you were up to… you know… how you were doing since yesterday, and if you were going to give school a try today."

Takato lowered his eyes.

"Um… I don't think so Jeri…" the boy said sadly. "Not today. I've got some thinking to do…"

Something suddenly caught his sight, something that had moved just over Jeri's shoulder, across the street in another alley. Something _dark._ Takato's head snapped up when he heard the familiar sound of a deep growling emanating from the alley's mouth, and a dark, crimson glow began to burn within its depths.

_"Pyro Grenade!"_ Shouted an all too familiar voice, and a red sphere of flame rocketed out of the alley.

_"Jeri!"_ Shouted Takato as he dove forward.


	28. The Angel's Promise

Lucemon opened his eyes slowly, his blue eyes not at all bothered by the sunlight that shown on them. Getting up slowly, Lucemon stretched his arms and arched his wings outwards, flexing them carefully, wincing slightly at the twinge of pain from the wing that had taken a shot from the Beelzemon he had fought yesterday. It hurt, but a night's rest had been sufficient for his body to repair the damaged data. It was certainly a lot quicker compared to his previous recovery, but then, he had been attacked by two Mega's and an Ultimate; throw in the fact that he had unleashed his own attack on all three of them at point blank range had spelled quite the difference with a gunshot wound to a wing when compared to a cross shaped energy blast going off with the force of a small bomb. Still, Lucemon had half expected to be more tired than this. He had utilized the Digital Hazard yesterday to break down the data that composed Beelzemon's Mega form and remove him from his path, and just doing that had left him terribly exhausted.

Lucemon looked down at the hazard symbol that was imprinted on his right hand. He always wound up tired whenever he used the Hazard, and he never liked to use it often. There was something about it that felt… _wrong._ Almost evil, but not quite that. It was more like every natural disaster rolled into one and then trying to control it through an act of will, and given the Digital Hazard's nature of disrupting and destroying data, in any form no matter how strong, it was no wonder that the effort cost him so much.

_Perhaps I'm not much different from Megidramon myself,_ thought Lucemon as he closed his eyes and clenched his hand into a fist. _After all, I use the Hazard also. I use it to defend the digital world, and the knight… Gallantmon, the second form of the Great Beast… he protects the digital world to, as well as the real world. The digital world's Sovereign, Yggdrasil, even uses a Gallantmon in the ranks of his Royal Knights. I wonder… perhaps I_ have _been too hasty in coming here. But… I had sensed the rage that had been unleashed when Megidramon was born, seen the affects of the Dragon's power. I know first hand what the Digital Hazard can do, and the Powers that protect the digital world were content to sit back and let something like that roam free. I forgot that they let me live, despite the fact that I have access to the Hazard, and that I have a counterpart amongst the ranks of the Demon Lords. They had every reason to believe that I could end up like that… Like that other Lucemon. The_ Chaos Lord…

_Ophanimon was right. I'm too impulsive; too contemptuous of others to believe that they might be able to find redemption._

Lucemon had been doing much thinking and reflecting, even while he had rested. He still believed that what he had done had been for the good of the digital world, and that if he had to decide once again he would do it all again, as he would concerning the issue of the new vessel of the Hazard. He held no regrets, but he believed now that in the future he should take greater pains to understand events before acting on his impulses.

Lucemon thought back on the conversation that he had with the girl, Noriko. Her words had had an affect on him. He supposed that humans had that affect on digimon, seeing as how some of them had taken to partnering with them, growing in ways that was… _unique_ to digimon, just as they made them digivolve. Perhaps that was what had happened, though nothing connected them in the way that the Tamers and their digimon were connected. Much like the rumor of the Messenger of the Sovereigns, the immortalized digimon known as Dobermon, and his guide, a golden haired girl with cold, blue eyes…

Just what was it about humans that affected digimon so? It was outside of the angel's experience, and as such, Lucemon didn't feel that he could understand it. The times that he had shared with Noriko's family, though limited to his being bedridden and often asleep during the majority of his stay… it had changed him in some way. He was less certain of himself, and of his goals. Though he still meant to carry through with his mission, the seeds of doubt were laid, and they would, no doubt, factor in to how he went about decisions in the future.

Throwing back the covers that had been placed over him in the middle of the night by Noriko's mother, Aiko, Lucemon stepped out onto the floor, his wings rustling as they stretched out once more. The pain in the damaged wing felt as though it had been lessened. He was going to have to take it easy with it, but for what he had to do today he felt that it was sufficient enough for him to get around. Lucemon looked out over the room that he was in, his eyes settling on a familiar picture of Noriko and her family. It was a common picture in the household. He had seen at least two copies during his stay so far, and he suspected that more were scattered throughout the house. It was simple in appearance, and not elegant in its display, yet there was something in the smiling faces of the family, the mother, the daughter, and the son, that made Lucemon pause. A sense, a look in their eyes… Lucemon had seen the love that his superiors Ophanimon, Cherubimon, and Seraphimon bestowed upon the digital world, but he hadn't understood it all that well. He had felt the power of their love, and it had been enough to make him stay by their side, serving loyally and unquestioningly until more recent times. The rage of Megidramon, the chaos of his arrival, and the war against D-Reaper had changed all that, and while Seraphimon, Cherubimon, and Ophanimon remained firm in their love for the entire digital world, Lucemon had felt as though, for him, it had been dulled, and his heart had hardened seeing the digital world marred the way it had been.

Yet here, because of that photo, it was as if something had changed and a floodgate had been opened.

_Is this what I took away?_ Thought Lucemon as he continued to look at the photo, his cool, blue eyes transfixed by the warm, trusting, happy looks on the family. Shaking his head, Lucemon turned and exited the room. Now was not the time for that sort of thing. He had a mission to complete after all…

He found Aiko in the houses dining room, sitting at the table and calmly sipping a cup of tea. Aiko turned and smiled calmly at him, nodding politely. Lucemon returned the gesture, though he felt strangely uneasy. There was something about this woman, this human that was different from what he had encountered so far. She was much too calm; too at ease with things. Humans had the tendency to either fight or run when encountering a digimon, and if they did none of those then they contacted someone who would fight, or at least remove them from their vicinity. This woman… had done none of that. Instead she had accepted him into her home and cared for him without question or without asking for a price. In Lucemon's experience, that was enough to warrant suspicion.

"Going out again today," said Aiko, not as a question but more as a statement, and Lucemon felt surprised by her bluntness. Nonetheless the blonde haired digimon nodded in confirmation. Aiko sipped her tea again before speaking once more.

"My daughter told me last night about what she had learned from a friend of hers at school, and what you had told her."

Lucemon said nothing, but instead looked at the woman with an expression of nonchalance that was by now almost his trademark.

"When I took you into my home, after my children found you, I contemplated turning you over to the authorities because I wasn't sure what would happen with you around. You could have been a dangerous digimon for all I knew, but there was something about you that made me think otherwise. I learned to trust what my instincts told me when I was younger, and I felt that we had nothing to worry about from you. And there was something else… something that said that you had a mission to finish, and that it was important."

Aiko once again sipped at her tea and then fixed the angel with a look that spoke of disappointment and plain dissatisfaction in the angel, as though he had let her down in some way. Lucemon however, overlooked this.

"Tell me something," said Aiko setting down her teacup. "Were my instincts wrong for once?"

Lucemon said nothing to answer Aiko's question, instead opting to continue staring at Aiko, his eyes betraying no emotion. Aiko took this as a hint to continue.

"I don't pretend to understand the sort of things that go on in your world, or why you digimon seem to treat life as though it were nothing. From what I can gather, what you have spoken about since you've been here, it is clear that you believe that you had done the right thing, eliminating a threat to your home. I can't fault you for that."

Aiko raised one hand and looked at a gold band that encircled one finger, the metal glinting in the room's light.

"I can understand wanting to protect something important to you," she continued. "And while I may seem like just a simple _human_ compared to you, I do know enough that actions have consequences, and that not everything is what you think that it is. We have a saying here. _Never judge a book by its cover_."

For the first time, Lucemon's expression changed. A small smile curved upwards on his face, and his eyes narrowed in amusement.

"You sound just like Ophanimon," the angel said, unable to hide the amusement that was in his voice. Aiko looked at Lucemon and raised an eyebrow.

"Who?"

"A powerful, beautiful, digimon who I serve. She loves all things, no matter what they were or what they did, even if they betrayed her or tried to destroy her. She forgave me once, forgave me for my sin of pride and raised me when I had fallen far, leading me back to the light. She was the only one that I recall who expressed regret when D-Reaper was destroyed. I never understood how she could love something and yet fight it at the same time."

Lucemon's face took on a distant look.

"I admire her. Her strength. The inner fortitude that she has to continue to do that even when she is given no reason to, but I couldn't understand it. She cried when the Great Dragon was born, but there was something about her sadness that seemed to me that she felt the anger and pain that went with its creation on a personal level. As though she could identify with it. I… couldn't. I only saw the chaos that he brought, the danger that he represented, and then after the damage caused by not only Megidramon unleashing his power on our home but also what had been made by D-Reaper… the others were so quick to forget that. Quick to leave something like that alone. Something that I saw as a monster… And now…"

Lucemon's brow furrowed in thought and he looked down at his left hand, seeing the hazard symbol that was tattooed upon its surface.

_…Now, thinking about it, I believe the monster may have been closer then I thought,_ Lucemon finished in his mind as he remembered Ophanimon's forgiving nature, and her love for the digital world and all the things that dwelt within it.

Silence reigned in the kitchen for a moment, settling on the two heavily, causing Lucemon to stiffen as his pride kicked in. He wanted to tell Aiko that he had no reason to explain himself to her, but that emotion, as it had for so many others of his kind, had gotten him into trouble before. He had once sworn an oath of loyalty to the Celestials, Ophanimon, Cherubimon, and Seraphimon, and here he was betraying that oath. All because he didn't understand one situation, still didn't, and would continue to not understand until he had more information.

And the only ones who had clear knowledge of what had gone into Megidramon's creation were the Tamers, who were at present not very endeared towards him, and with that other vessel of the Hazard in the city, he couldn't afford to let it roam free either, which meant no doubt another battle with the Tamers as well should they meet.

_And I closed that door,_ thought Lucemon with quiet irony, but once again upon reflection he found that he held no regrets. He had made his decision… all he could do was make peace with it.

Aiko's sigh caught his attention, and Lucemon looked at her, surprised to see a look of age in her eyes. She was older inside then she appeared, and had apparently carried more weight on her shoulders then her photo had entailed.

"I know that I don't have any way to hold you to anything, or have a reason to ask this of you," said Aiko as she looked at Lucemon calmly. "And even though I'm certain that you'll go and do what ever you feel is necessary, and we can't do anything to stop you, but… I want you to promise me that none of the children or their digimon will be harmed. If you want to understand what love is… you _will_ _not_ harm them."

Aiko fixed Lucemon with a commanding glare as she said that, and Lucemon once again felt his body stiffen. Anger began to well up in his heart at the human's attitude and the boldness of her request, but one look into her eyes stilled that flame, turning it into smoldering embers, and a soft smile graced Lucemon's features.

"I've said it before… you remind me of Ophanimon."

Aiko smiled back, though it appeared strange.

"I may not know who _Ophanimon_ is, but hearing you talk about her like that I think I'll take that as a compliment."

Lucemon chuckled lightly under his breath before gasping in surprise as a pain ripped through his left hand.

_"AAAAH!"_ Lucemon cried out, staggering, trying to keep his balance and the noise level to a minimum and failing, as his left hand almost seemed to burst into flames. Aiko sat up in surprise and rushed over to him. Dimly he heard her asking him if he was all right, but Lucemon ignored her. His senses reached out, searching for the source of the pain though he knew all too well what it was. His eyes widened seconds later as he made contact.

_The Great Beast…_

Lucemon fought through the pain. Pumping his great wings, Lucemon's eyes lighted upon an open window…

And seconds later the angel was flying clear and free as he rushed towards the source. Towards the Great Beast of the Hazard.

_One way or another, it all ends here,_ thought Lucemon as he flew through the air.

* * *

Aiko stared at the window, watching the feathers of Lucemon's wings float slowly towards the ground before coming to rest upon the floor. After a couple seconds, Aiko broke herself out of her shock and walked over to one, bending down to pick it up. Holding it softly in her hand, Aiko was surprised at the feather's texture and the purity of color that it had. It seemed almost unnatural…

Aiko looked back at the window, watching as Lucmon's form ducked behind a tree and vanished from her sight. Aiko sighed, feeling pity for the angel, and for those who would get in his way.

* * *


	29. The Battle of Souls

_"Pyro Grenade!"_

" _Jeri!"_

Takato dove forward at the instant that he saw the crimson fireball rocket out of the alley across from his families home, knocking the sock puppet-loving girl to the ground with his own momentum just in time. The fireball soared over them and smashed into the wall behind them with explosive force. A cry of dismay came from within the bakery and soon enough Takahiro burst out into the alley and took in the situation. On the ground were Jeri and Takato, both now getting up into from where they had landed and looking at the other side of the street with looks of stunned surprise. Following their gaze, Takahiro gave a gasp as he saw the familiar dark form of the Guilmon that he and Impmon had encountered yesterday.

A second later a distraught Mei arrived at the door, demanding in a high strung tone to know what was going on, only to trail off as she peered outside and saw what was going on.

Stepping out of the shadows of the alley that concealed him, _BlackGuilmon_ raised his claws and gave a low growl, his pupils dilating as his viral instincts kicked into high gear, his sight focused exclusively on the brown haired boy wearing the blue shirt that was now shakily getting to his feet and consequentially ignoring the others. They were nothing to him. After all, they were not the boy, and they did not share the strange feeling of _connection_ that he did with the boy, or if they did it was of another order that _BlackGuilmon_ could not immediately identify due to his level of focus on the boy. Now he had the boy's attention, and he _would_ find out what it was about him that drew him to this _human_. With that in his mind, _BlackGuilmon_ took a step towards the humans, the claws on his hands flexing as he growled menacingly.

Takato snapped out of his daze once he saw the _BlackGuilmon_ that he had brought to life take a step towards them. Looking over at Jeri Takato realized that the viral digimon had come for him and him alone, and that he could not endanger Jeri or his family. Jeri, who had been watching him with wide eyes, seemed to pick up on his thoughts.

"No…" the brown haired girl whispered.

"I'm sorry Jeri," Takato said before taking off, his course aiming first at _BlackGuilmon_ before cutting away from the digital dinosaur, his action surprising the dinosaur enough to bring him up short and dumbly watch him tear off down the streets before going after Takato in pursuit. As Takato raced, pitting his own rapid pace against that of the no doubt superior _BlackGuilmon's_ Takato heard his family's cries to come back, and more, Jeri's own pleas…

"Takato! Don't do this! I can't lose you!"

_But I can't lose you, Jeri,_ Takato thought as he ran.

* * *

Jeri almost took off after Takato, but stopped as she saw his mother almost run after him while Takato's father caught her, pulling her back and holding her close, trying to get her to think sensibly, as they didn't stand a chance trying to fend off _BlackGuilmon_ from their son, and that the best course of action would be to get a hold of someone who could. And, as Takahiro pointed out, Takato did have _some_ experience with handling digimon so surely he would know how to stay ahead. Of course, Takahiro sounded more like he was trying to convince himself of that last part, and Mei picked up on it quickly, screaming painfully at the thought of her son being in danger and pounding on Takahiro's chest before breaking down into tears. Jeri watched them for a second before looking back down where Takato had run off with _BlackGuilmon_ chasing after his heels. She couldn't believe that this was happening, and yet at the same time she couldn't deny that it was. Realizing that she had to do something to help Takato, but helpless to do anything herself Jeri rushed into the bakery and ran to the phone, picking it up and dialing the number of the first person that she thought of and could trust to handle this.

* * *

Rika, now fully dressed in her day clothes, had just finished putting up her hair when her cell phone started ringing. Walking over to where she had set it, Rika looked at the number, raising an eyebrow when she recognized the number to be from the Matsuki Bakery before answering.

"Hello? Jeri? What's…?" Rika's eyes widened as the voice of Jeri on the other end, fighting to keep panic out of it, explained what had happened as quickly as she could, her sentences breaking in some areas, forcing Rika to try and get her to slow down.

"Hold on. Jeri…! Calm down. Now, what's going on? What's happened…?"

Rika felt as though a an electrical shock had been discharged into her body as Jeri took a deep breath and, as carefully as she could, told her what was going on. As if sensing Rika's distress, Renamon phased into view inside the Tamer's room and cocked an eyebrow at her. Rika simply nodded at Renamon, her brow furrowing in concentration as she began to weigh her options while simultaneously listening to Jeri.

"I understand," said Rika finally. "I'll do what I can. In the meantime Jeri, try and get a hold of Henry and the others. They're supposed to be meeting up at Hypnos so you may have to go down there to tell them what's going on. Okay… okay. Good luck."

With that said, Rika hung up her cell phone and looked over at Renamon with a fierce, and determined expression on her face.

"We've got work to do, Renamon…"

* * *

Lucemon flew through the air, extending his senses to find some spore of the Great Beast, the new vessel of the Digital Hazard. The burning sensation that pained his left hand via the Hazard symbol imprinted on it, the one connection that Lucemon had with the digimon that had emerged into the real world yesterday, was the main clue that he was using, as he found that its light, and pain intensified as he closed in, giving some credibility to that human game where a person says _'getting warmer'_ when indicating that someone's getting close to finding something.

Had he a bit more knowledge of this particular human game Lucemon would have wondered whether or not he would literally start _burning up_ so as to go with the figurative approach. He probably would have found it amusing as well if he wasn't otherwise occupied with his mission, but there was little he could do about that. He had chosen his destiny in that matter…

The Hazard symbol on Lucemon's hand pulsated once more, causing the angel to wince and pause in mid air. Looking down at the thick tree line of Shinjuku Park that he presently hovered over, Lucemon frowned. There was something going on there. He could feel it. Something…

_He's here,_ thought Lucemon, and pumping his wings once more Lucemon broke into a dive towards the park, his Hazard symbol flaring as he drew closer.

* * *

Takato really didn't have much of a clue as to what he was doing, and was already chiding himself for not thinking things through very well. Of course, he had a dark, apparently evil version of his best friend chasing him and had threatened his family and Jeri as soon as it showed up and he refused to let them get hurt even if it was at the cost of his own life, especially when it was clear that the Guilmon was after him. Somehow, Takato knew that _BlackGuilmon_ had shown up for him specifically, though why he couldn't really figure out. Maybe it had something to do with the bond between a Tamer and his digimon, and after all he _did_ create _BlackGuilmon_ just as surely as he created Guilmon, and that meant that his darker version was every bit a part of him as the original crimson one that had been his friend and partner.

He could already hear Rika calling him a _stupid Gogglehead_.

His first thought was to run to the park and lose himself in the thick brush and trees that made up the flora of the area. He realized of course, that if this version of Guilmon was anything like that of his best friend then his sense of smell had to be excellent so any hope of losing him would be difficult if not downright impossible to pull off, and of course there was the fact that _BlackGuilmon_ was no doubt faster then he was. The only reason that Takato had the narrow lead that he had now was because _BlackGuilmon_ had been surprised by his initial charge, thinking that Takato was going to attack him right before he had changed direction. To that end, Takato reasoned that he had to do whatever it took to stay ahead and keep his lead over _BlackGuilmon_ until he either lost him or ran into one of his friends, which was why, upon entering the park, Takato abandoned the paths all together and raced through the areas that were thick with bushes, his light, smaller body weaving between the small gaps in between the bushes and trees as he raced through them, trying to keep a decent amount of speed as well as to take as much care as he could to not get caught in the bushes by running blindly through them. Regardless, there was little he could do to keep branches from scratching at his exposed skin as he made his way through, and soon enough he had scrapes decorating his hands, face, and arms. He ignored them though. He had every reason to. The sound of plants being crushed were all the reason that he needed. Still, he had an idea that his plan was working, if the frustrated growls and roars were any indication. Even if _BlackGuilmon_ was supposed to be a predator of sorts, he had only been born recently and hadn't much experience with tracking and hunting something down, or how to do it in a way that was _quiet_ or even graceful. His powerful muscles were no doubt giving him the edge that he needed to break through the entanglement of plants, but because he simply tried to slam his way through them rather then avoid them he was being slowed down. He would catch on eventually of course, of that Takato had no doubt but for now he was going to take every advantage that he had and just keep running.

Takato _had_ considered trying to see if he could reason with the _BlackGuilmon_ , but memories of it taking potshots at him, not once but _twice_ now gave him plenty of reasons to hesitate at this idea. As much as he wanted to try and find a non-violent solution to this he did not much relish in the idea of being blown to pieces in the process.

Taking another turn Takato burst out of the bushes and came to an abrupt halt on a path in the park. Gasping for breath Takato took a quick look around, hearing the sound of _BlackGuilmon_ crushing and snapping bushes and branches as he made his way after him. Takato tried to get his bearings. Takato knew the park well, and if he could just figure out where he was based on his surroundings then he could…

"Takato?" Spoke up a voice from nearby. Swiveling his head around, Takato felt relief flood his body as he saw that luck had decided to shine on him for once.

"Kazu! Guardromon!" Exclaimed Takato as he got his body moving towards the Tamer and his partner. Sweat poured down his face, stinging the various cuts and scrapes that he had suffered in his mad dash to escape from his pursuer. With a worried expression Kazu rushed up to his friend with Guardromon in tow, the two of them coming to a halt in front of the boy as Takato stopped and bent over, straining to catch his breath from all the running that he had been made to do today.

_I really need to stop cutting out of gym class,_ thought Takato distractedly.

"Dude, are you okay?" Asked Kazu as he raised his arms and gripped Takato's shoulders so as to make sure that he didn't collapse or anything. "Deep breath's man. You wanna tell me what's going on?"

"Kazu? Sir?" Asked Guardromon. "I believe that…"

"Not now, Guardromon," snapped Kazu impatiently. "Can't you see that Chumley here is trying to say something?"

"But Kazu…"

But before the android could say anything else, a dark, saurian form burst out of the bushes with a triumphant roar and landed in the path directly in front of them, causing both boys to look up, Kazu in surprise while Takato looked on in exhaustion.

"Well…" breathed Takato heavily, answering the visor wearing boy's earlier question. "… I found _BlackGuilmon_ … he's been chasing me all morning…"

"Oh man… Guardromon… Why didn't you say anything? I thought that you could pick up stuff like this on your sensors!"

"I did! But you wouldn't let me say anything!"

"All right," said Kazu as he pushed Takato behind him and drew out his rust colored D-Arc. Guardromon quickly followed suit and came up to stand at attention in front of the two children. "Enough talk. We've got to take this guy down…"

"Don't hurt him!" Takato exclaimed with a small touch of anger in his voice, feeling a strange sense of protectiveness for the digimon. Kazu chuckled lightly.

"Don't sweat it, Chumley. Remember what we discussed with Yamaki last night? We'll do the best we can here…"

_"Pyro Grenade!"_

Kazu and Takato's faces snapped up just in time to see a crimson fireball come flying their way, it's path aimed directly towards the giant robotic digimon that stood protectively in front of them, or more accurately, at his eyes.

"Oh dear…" muttered Guardromon just seconds before the fireball impacted with his visual receptors. Crying out in surprise and some pain, Guardromon staggered backwards, covering his eyes with one armored hand but still managing to stand his ground. It would take only a few seconds for him to be able to see again, as his defense, even around such vulnerable areas like his eyes, was strong enough to withstand _BlackGuimon's_ attacks, but a few seconds it seemed was all _BlackGuilmon needed._

_"Rock Crusher!"_ Shouted _BlackGuilmon_ as he rushed towards the children and digimon, one clawed hand drawn back and burning with dark fire. Kazu froze in place while Takato tried to push him out of the way…

Suddenly a ball of white, burning energy fell from the sky and crashed to the ground, narrowly missing _BlackGuilmon_ and causing him to stop in place and look up at the sky to see what it was that had interrupted his attack, sniffing the air as he did so to catch the attackers sent. Kazu and Takato looked up as well, their eyes widening and jaws falling open in surprise as they saw the digimon descend towards them, his blue eyes holding a grim look about them as a golden aura surrounded his body.

"Lucemon…" whispered Takato and Kazu in chorus with each other.

"Well, well, well…" said the angelic celestial digimon calmly as he observed the dark colored saurian below him. "After all this time I've finally found you. And this time, there will be _no_ escape…"

* * *

Kyubimon bounded off a building rooftop with Rika as her passenger, their course taking them to the park, reasoning that it would be the first place that Takato would go when fleeing a pursuing digimon that threatened to kill him. Rika kept her gaze straight ahead, her body tense. She _had_ to get there as quickly as possible. She didn't think that Takato would be able to outrun something like _BlackGuilmon_ for very long, even if he was used to the exercise from having to get to digital fields and fight wild digimon. She had to get there _fast_ , because if she arrived to late to help him, she'd never be able to forgive herself. She _wouldn't_ lose another friend. Not if she could help it…

"Come on… come on…" Rika urged underneath her breath as she held onto Kyubimon as the kitsune digimon landed on another roof and began to race towards the edge. Kyubimon picked up her pace in response to Rika's plea for more speed. As the pair leapt into the air once more, an explosion erupted from within the park. As Rika watched the smoke and flames burst outwards, kicking dirt into the air, fear settled into her heart at the possibility that Takato was there and might have been hurt in that explosion. Or killed.

_No… Takato!_

Reaching into her deck box, Rika pulled out a card. A second later when Kyubimon touched down on another rooftop sparks flew from the girl's blue trimmed D-Arc, and Kyubimon found a new burst of speed.

* * *


	30. The Ties that Bind

Jeri slammed the phone back on its hook, her mind racing furiously and her heart beating wildly. She had just finished calling the homes of Henry, Kazu, and Kenta. Of these three only Kenta had been available, and he was going to try and get a hold of Ryo before heading out himself to try and help Takato. While Jeri was glad that she had been able to get a hold of _someone_ since getting into contact with Rika she still wasn't sure if it would be enough. She wanted to help Takato but because she no longer had Leomon by her side there was very little that she could do

Her hand closing into a tight fist Jeri struggled to find some rational thought so that she could come up with a plan, but she quickly found that she was far too tense to even begin to be able to think properly. A friend that she cared very deeply about was running for his life from a dangerous digimon that looked like his best friend and she couldn't do a thing to protect him!

She could hear Takato's parents behind her, talking. Takahiro trying to calm his wife while Mei was frantically trying to find the number that Yamaki had left them in case of an emergency of this nature occurred. Their voices were changing pitch and intensity with each passing second. Granted, they had every reason to since their only son was in danger, but it wasn't really helping Jeri's nerves, which only added to the fear that she felt for the safety of the former goggle-wearing Tamer. The desire to do something was greater then ever before now, and within seconds Jeri found herself bursting from the entrance of the Bakery, startling some of the people who had come out of their homes earlier to see what the commotion had been earlier when _BlackGuilmon_ had attacked, and began running down the streets. Having now freed up some of her nervous energy Jeri began to think about what she was going to do.

The twin towers of Hypnos caught her eye and Jeri's course began to alter to suit them…

Until the sound of an explosion coming from within the depths of the park caught her hearing. Stopping in place Jeri looked in the direction of the park. It was still too far off to see the tree line, but the sight of smoke filling the air in the area where she knew it lay was more then enough for Jeri to once more alter her course, all thoughts of Hypnos flying right out of her mind.

_Takato!_

The sound of Jeri's feet hitting the ground were drowned out by even more explosions emanating from within the park that she and her friends knew all too well.

* * *

Henry walked easily down the streets of Shinjuku, neither hurrying but not necessarily dallying either as he headed towards the twin towers of Hypnos. Terriermon rode on his shoulders, his ears fluttering nervously like a birds wings, not comfortable with how quiet his Tamer had been since they had left the apartment but unwilling to interrupt his thoughts. There were times where Henry needed some quiet time to think things through so that he could get a perspective on something and try to understand it, and this was one of them. A lot had happened in the past week and…

 Suddenly an explosion sounded off in the direction of Shinjuku Park, causing Terriermon to raise his ears and tense up on his place on Henry's shoulder. Henry, who was long used to the signs that Terriermon portrayed whenever a digimon was making its presence known in the real world immediately looked over at his partner worriedly.

"Terriermon?"

"We've got trouble Henry! And it's in the park!"

Henry nodded and quickly took off towards the parks direction, Terriermon almost falling off his shoulder from the sudden change in speed.

"Hey! Hen-ry! Take it easy there!"

"Momentai, would ya?"

Terriermon bit back a reply as he struggled to hang onto his Tamer through the rapid pace that he had set for himself.

"Never a dull day around here," muttered the little rabbit dog digimon, imitating a line that his partner had said some time ago back during the Deva invasions, back when things had seemed so much more simpler…

A lot had happened this past week, Terriermon reminisced, and it didn't look like that trend was going to show any sign of stopping any time soon.

* * *

_"Pyro Grenade!"_

  _BlackGuilmon_ didn't waste any time in attacking Lucemon. He was in a bad spot now and he knew it. His viral instincts sensed the strength that Lucemon held within him, and as strong as the dark saurian was he knew that he was far outclassed by the celestial digimon that had come to destroy him. Even so, he wouldn't go down without a fight, and if attacking first gave him the edge that he needed in order to make a clean getaway then so be it.

The crimson fireball rocketed out of _BlackGuilmon's_ mouth and flew towards Lucemon with ferocious speed. Lucemon didn't flinch at it as it approached him. Instead he just narrowed his eyes in concentration, and the familiar symbol of the Digital Hazard flashed once on his hand…

Within seconds, the blood red fireball burst into shards of data right before it made contact with the angel's face.

Growling angrily at the unexpected failure of his attack, _BlackGuilmon_ rushed forward, one clawed hand drawn back with black flames licking at his talons, his viral instincts urging him to attack now that he had lost his initial chance to make a quick getaway. There was no time for that now. All he could do now was attack, and hope that he could find an opening or at least hurt Lucemon bad enough in his attack so that he could get away.

_"Rock Crusher!"_

Making a noise of disgust Lucemon moved to the side just enough for _BlackGuilmon's_ claw to miss Lucemon. As the attack sailed by the angel's face, Lucemon lashed out and grabbed the black dinosaur by his throat with his right hand. Grunting in surprise, _BlackGuilmon_ began choking for air as Lucemon tightened his grip. As the saurian began to thrash around, Lucemon regarded the viral digimon with a gaze of curiousity, as though there was something about the _BlackGuilmon_ fascinating to watch while it struggled.

Lucemon pulled the _BlackGuilmon_ closer so that their eyes could meet, and the blonde haired angel stared into the cold, gold colored eyes that looked back at him with all the rage of an avalanche; all the forgiveness of the most barren desert. There was something in those eyes… something about the creature's inner essence…

The whistling sound of missiles streaking towards him caught the angel's attention.

_"Guardian Barrage!"_

Turning with his eyes narrowing into fury, Lucemon looked up just in time to see twin pairs of missiles, both with arms outstretched and pointing, eyes at the tips frowning with a whistle held within their mouths all but warning him of their approach, surge towards him. Lucemon's Hazard symbol flashed once more as the missiles impacted with him, kicking up smoke, fire and dirt.

Takato and Kazu threw up their arms to protect their faces from the debris that showered down on them. After a couple seconds they lowered their arms and tentatively looked at the cloud of smoke that rose up into the air, trying to see what had happened to the two digimon.

"Did we get him?" Asked Kazu at first, and then a second later answered his own question with jubilant glee. "We did! We got him! All right! We took out Lucemon!"

Guardromon looked away from the scene of devastation to stare at his partner somewhat surprised at Kazu's easy acceptance of victory over their opponent.

"Kazu. As much as I'd like to believe that we defeated that _miscreant_ , I'm not sure that we managed to put him away with just that one shot."

"Oh come on," said Kazu, grinning like a loon as he slapped his giant mechanical partner on his back. "We took him by surprise. He was too busy focusing on that other Guilmon to pay attention to you, especially since it looked like you were out of commission there for a while… you know, after that shot to your eyes? Which reminds me… how are you feeling? That looked like it hurt."

"Indubitably," answered Guardromon, pointing at the burn mark that encircled the area around his eye sensors. "Fortunately the damage was mostly superficial and wasn't anything serious."

"I'll say. And that's why Lucemon didn't expect you to attack him. I ask ya, do we rock or what?"

"Uh… guys?" Began Takato. "Not to burst your bubble or anything but I think I agree with Guardromon here. I've faced Lucemon once before and I have to say, I don't think that Guardromon would have been able to do anything to him…"

"True," said the rust colored robot. "He did destroy Gallantmon."

Guardromon looked at Takato and winced.

"Um… no offense meant to you, Takato…"

Before the three of them could continue with their conversation, a ball of golden energy burst out of the smoke and impacted with the mechanical virus digimon and sent him crashing to the ground with a groan, eliciting a cry of surprise from the two boys that stood by him. Looking over at where the attack had come from, Takato narrowed his eyes as a gust of wind blew away the smoke, revealing the angelic form of Lucemon, seemingly untouched and unruffled by Guardromon's attack, and still clutching onto a struggling _BlackGuilmon_ by his throat. Lucemon looked _very_ irritated by the sudden and unexpected attack.

"You're lucky that I'm in a generous mood right now," said the blonde seraph in a cool tone. "Otherwise your pathetic excuse for a garbage dumpster would be free floating data right now. I will warn you only once: _stay out of this_ …"

A flicker of movement caught Lucemon's attention. Swinging up his left hand, Lucemon deftly blocked another Rock Crusher attack from the viral Rookie that he held in his grasp, and then a second later pulled back that same hand and punched _BlackGuilmon_ in his stomach, the force of the impact aided by the angel's unnatural strength and sending him crashing into a tree with a cry of pain.

_BlackGuilmon_ fell still.

Lucemon began to walk slowly towards the fallen dinosaur, his left hand beginning to glow once more

"STOP! PLEASE!" Shouted Takato from where he stood as Kazu helped Guardromon get back up as best as he could. Takato clenched his fists in front of him, his face pleading with the angel to leave the black dino alone. "DON'T DO THIS!"

Lucemon just stared impassively at Takato as he raised his left hand, the aura of light that surrounded his left hand growing brighter.

"Sorry boy," said the angel calmly. "But I'm doing what I must to protect the digital world…"

Kazu had been listening while he had been helping Guardromon back to his feet. As the angel spoke to Takato, his voice seemingly uncaring for the pain and harm that he had caused the kid upon their first meeting, and expressing no compulsion to do anything different in regards to the _BlackGuilmon_ , the digimon that looked so much like the one that had been his and Takato's friend this past year, the one that he himself had _murdered_ just because of a mistake that Takato had made, a fire woke up in the depths of Kazu's heart and unconsciously he drew a card from his pants pocket. They _needed_ this digimon if Takato was to have any hope of finding happiness in the shadow of Guilmon's death. He knew that it was probably foolish to think that the Monster Makers would find a way to bring back the Guilmon that they all knew… just as foolish as Takato had been when he thought that by rescanning his drawings he could accomplish the same thing, but the visor-wearing boy felt in his heart that whatever the Monster Makers and Hypnos needed this _BlackGuilmon_ for it was for Takato… to help him. To help Chumley, and for someone who had given so much of himself in the battles against the Devas, against D-Reaper, the Parasimon… it wasn't fair that Lucemon could decide that he could pass judgment like that, as if everything that Takato and Guilmon had done since the day Leomon had died and Megidramon had been born meant nothing, or that the love and friendship that they shared was as dust to him.

_It's just not fair,_ thought Kazu as he raised the card to his rust colored D-Arc. _No one should_ ever _have to go through that. No one should_ ever _have to lose a friend or someone that they care about. How can this creep treat it like its nothing?_

Lucemon drew closer to _BlackGuilmon_. The dark dinosaurs eyes slowly drew open, but there was no time for him to recover enough to escape what Lucemon had planned for him. A desire to do whatever it took to stop Lucemon surged through Kazu, and as he began to slash the card through his digivice, he didn't notice that it had changed and adopted a magnificent blue color.

_I've got to protect Takato,_ thought Kazu as sparks flew from his D-Arc.

M-A-T-R-I-X D-I-G-V-O-L-U-T-I-O-N

_"Guardromon! Matrix Digivolve tooo...Andromon!"_

Lucemon stopped suddenly as he felt a power suddenly flare up behind him. Turning to see what it was, the angel raised an eyebrow in surprise as he saw shards of data encircle the Guardromon and form an egg shaped sphere around his body, only to burst apart a second later to reveal a much larger, part cybernetic, part organic android with a skull shaped mask covering his face.

_An Andromon!_ Thought Lucemon irritably, realizing that things had just become a bit more complicated. Andromon digimon were notoriously tough to beat down as an Ultimate level digimon, and though they still didn't fair much better then most digimon against those against a Mega, even Mega's reported difficulty in putting them down, and that said a lot about them as far as durable and skilled fighters went. And this one happened to have a Tamer with him…

The Andromon got down into a crouch and then rushed the angel, one arm raised behind him, hand spinning and electricity dancing around it as the cybernetic Ultimate began his signature attack. The _Lightning Blade…_

Lucemon stepped backwards to receive the oncoming attacker, his left hand preparing to deliver a brutal blow to the assailant, but despite all his experience in combating digimon even Lucemon was unprepared for the speed that this Andromon attacked. He barely had enough time to dodge the initial attack from the Lightning Blade before Andromon was on him, fist flying towards his face…

_This should be interesting,_ thought Lucemon as he caught the android's fist, the force of the blow actually managing to stagger the angel and drive him back a bit. Growling in frustration, Lucemon began to push back against the Ultimate, pitting himself in a contest of strength and will in which only one of them would survive.

_BlackGuilmon_ slowly got to his feet as the two combatants crashed into each other, his yellow eyes glancing at them both and gauging their strengths before turning away and settling on the boy that he had been pursuing for most of the morning. He wondered if he had time to continue trying to find out what his link was with the human, but another look at the two battling digimon told him that this was most likely not the case. Lucemon may have been deadlocked with the Andromon for now, but _BlackGuilmon_ sensed enough about these two to know that it was only a matter of time before Lucemon gained the upper hand. There was something about the power that the angel radiated that made the dark saurian confident of his assessment. And there was something else too about this power… something about it that called to _BlackGuilmon_. Something… _familiar._

But before the dark dino could really analyze the feeling that he was experiencing, the angelic Lucemon suddenly gave off a burst of white light and blasted the Andromon away from him, sending him crashing to the ground in front of the two human boys once more with a groan before turning and sending a torrent of energy rushing towards _BlackGuilmon._

His eyes dilating, _BlackGuilmon_ snarled, and he heard someone, the boy that he had been pursuing by the sounds of it, shout something. A second later, as the light from Lucemon drew closer, a tidal wave of power surged through _BlackGuilmon's_ body, and he threw his head backwards as the feeling of strength overtook him.

Power surged through his limbs and a sphere of data surrounded him, and involuntarily words were spoken from the dark dinosaurs mouth.

_"BlackGuilmon! Digivolve tooo..."_

Lucemon's attack surged closer.


	31. Two Edged Sword

"BlackGuilmon! Digivolve tooo..."

KABOOM!

Lucemon's attack impacted the sphere that had surrounded the dark colored dinosaur, kicking up smoke and fire and sending charred splinters of wood in every direction as the tree that BlackGuilmon had been lying against fell to the ground with a crash.

_"NOOOOO!"_ Takato screamed, his voice edging towards panic with each passing syllable until he no longer had breath with which to continue. As the fire crackled and wood snapped and broke apart, Takato stood there, watching and breathing heavily, unable to bring himself out of his shock. He couldn't believe it! He refused to believe it! He… he had lost Guilmon not once but _twice_ now! Even if this Guilmon wasn't the same one as the friend that he had lost earlier in the week, even if he had attacked him and his friends, he had been made to stand and watch as another part of him, that same part that had gone into creating Guilmon in the first place, had been destroyed and he was helpless to do anything to stop it. What was left for him to do? Takato's legs felt heavy for some reason, as though they were weighed down with lead. His exertions from this morning were finally catching up to him. His knees wanted to buckle. To give out on him and send him to the ground… to sleep… But for some reason he didn't. Perhaps it was something deep inside of him… something that had once existed prior to the loss of Guilmon had been unearthed, and refused him the option of showing how deep his shock and exhaustion went. Or perhaps his shock was too great for him to even notice. After all, he had yet to notice any pain from the scratches that he had endured from all the bushes that he had run through earlier…

"You _slime_!" Shouted Kazu angrily at Lucemon as he took a step forward, clutching his D-Arc with enough force that the veins on his hand were starting to stand out. In front of the two children, Andromon got to his feet and placed himself into an attack position, seemingly ignoring or no longer feeling the damage that he had sustained in his earlier fight with the angelic digimon. "We _needed_ him! Where do you get off going about killing digimon? Even digimon that haven't _done…_ anything _…_ to you?!"

Lucemon just stared at Kazu impassively, obviously bored with having to reiterate his reasons for being here and doing what he did.

_I wonder… are_ all _human here like this? Do they need everything explained to them over and over before they finally get it?_

An image of Noriko flashed through the angel's mind, and Lucemon frowned mentally before dismissing the girl from his mind. There was nothing to be gained from that memory. She didn't understand. Of course, he was willing to concede that such was the case for him as well given that, if what he had learned from the girl was correct, he had destroyed a digimon that not only had no intention of destroying his home, the digital world, had fought to protect it and the real world from being destroyed by the malevolent D-Reaper, but had also ascended after a fashion and becoming an angelic knight. What little he had heard concerning the Royal Knight known as Gallantmon, servant of the digital world's sovereign Yggdrasil, was that his full potential as a Royal Knight was suppressed by the Hazard whereas his alternate form wasn't hampered in releasing the full potential of the Digital Hazard. Of course, with the exception of the Gallantmon, Megidramon was itself an unknown, as were his evolved forms but the only thing that helped Lucemon track him was his own link through the Hazard, a force of incomprehensible power and…

Lucemon narrowed his eyes as he noticed that Andromon was moving into an attack position. With a sigh, Lucemon's left hand flashed with golden color as he tapped into the Digital Hazard once more. It was time to end this.

The crimson glow of two eyes emerging from the smoke where the new vessel of the Hazard had fallen caught the angel's attention.

Wha…?

_"Exhaust Flame!"_

Before Lucemon could even react, a fireball rocketed out of the smoke and impacted with Lucemon, sending the angelic digimon flying backwards with a cry.

As Takato, Kazu, and Andromon watched in amazement, the black colored, horned head of a _Growlmon_ type digimon emerged from the billowing plumes, white mane blowing in the wind and eyes glowing crimson. Glaring at Lucemon as he regained his footing from where he had fallen, the massive dinosaur let loose a triumphant roar, letting the whole world know that he had arrived.

"Whoa…" breathed Kazu as he raised his D-Arc and analyzed the new digimon. Even though the creature looked like Growlmon, it was clear, quite visibly, that this digimon was something else, and any knowledge that they could get on it would be important if they had to fight it.

BlackGrowlmon

Stage: Champion

Type: Virus

Special Attacks: Exhaust Flame, Plasma Blade

"Wow," said Kazu lowering his D-Arc. "This kinda reminds me of that digimon episode where the Digimon Emperor took over Agumon and forced him to digivolve into a weird, blue version of MetalGreymon. At least this guy's only a Champion…"

Kazu suddenly grinned wickedly.

"But even if he weren't, I'm pretty sure that my man Andromon here could take him!"

If Takato were in the right frame of mind, he probably would have given his friend an incredulous look.

* * *

_How?_ Lucemon asked himself fiercely. _How was he able to digivolve?! And how had he survived my attack?_

It wasn't the sudden and completely unexpected digivolution of the Great Beast that had caught Lucemon by surprise, though he had to admit that was one shocker that he himself hadn't seen coming, it was the fact that it had actually managed to not only digivolve, but remain _unharmed_ from the attack that he had launched at it! He himself boasted enough power to destroy a Mega, thanks to his high class as an angel and link to the Digital Hazard, and there were few that could withstand that kind of strength. Yet somehow this digimon had been able to escape the deletion that it so rightly deserved!

Lucemon's eyes flickered over to the boy with the blue shirt.

_Could he be somehow responsible for this?_

* * *

BlackGrowlmon flexed his claws as the last bit of smoke began to clear. Emitting a low, guttural growl, the dark saurian began to stalk towards the angel. Such _strength_! Such _power_ he felt flowing through his body now! It surpassed anything that he himself had experienced in his short life, but it still wasn't enough! His viral instincts were clamoring to find more, to destroy Lucemon and download his data so that he might gain his power in addition to his own, but to do that he would need to become even stronger so as to overcome the difference in strength between him and the angel.

 How he had been able to digivolve was something that puzzled him, especially since he knew that he should have died right there and then. The dark dragon wasn't used to having to think about things like this, preferring to react and follow his instincts, but if there was something about this power that had enabled him to digivolve, and if it enabled him to survive in his battle against Lucemon then he had to find the cause of it as quickly as possible!

The image of the boy that he had been chasing through the park earlier, prior to the interference of Lucemon, flashed through the dark colored dinosaur's mind.

Without really thinking about it, on some level that went beyond mere guesswork, BlackGrowlmon wondered if _he_ had anything to do with it.

Then BlackGrowlmon saw Lucemon's eyes glance away from him for a brief second. Snapping out one of his arm blades, BlackGrowlmon snarled and charged forward. That brief second was all he was going to need here.

_"Plasma Blade!"_ Shouted BlackGuilmon as he slashed at Lucemon with one of his arm blandes. Lucemon, with reflexes engrained into him from a wealth of experience from fighting other digimon and the aid of his twelve wings, easily dodged the attack before delivering a kick to the black dragon's face. Surprisingly, despite Lucemon's small size and rather frail looking appearance, the kick actually managed to knock BlackGuilmon to the ground. Throwing back his arms, energy began to form in front of the angel as he prepared his signature attack…

_"Gattling Attack!"_

Before Lucemon could even fire his own attack, twin missiles crashed into him, and the angel fell to the ground, giving a cry of pain and surprise at the unexpected assault. As Lucemon propped himself on one elbow, struggling to recover from the two hits, the sound of a large, android digimon rushing towards him filled the air and he cursed. He couldn't _believe_ that he had forgotten about the Andromon! Rolling to the side, Lucemon just barely missed getting crushed by Andromon's foot as it slammed into the ground, the earth quaking from the impact. Growling, Lucemon's left hand glowed and he flung a sphere of energy at the cyborg.

_"Digi-modify! Speed activate!"_

With reflexes that defied nearly all logic, going above and beyond Lucemon's own, Andromon dodged the attack and sped towards him, crashing into Lucemon and sending him sprawling backwards, before charging up his Lightning Blade attack and letting fly with it.

Lucemon's temper snapped.

_Wretched child,_ thought Lucemon fiercely.

His left hand glowing once more, Lucemon lashed out and batted the attack away in an over arching sweep with his hands before arching forwards with his hands, preparing to respond in kind to the Andromon.

_"Exhaust Flame!"_

His eyes narrowing, Lucemon switched tactics. Tapping into his holy powers he erected an energy barrier that blocked BlackGuilmon's fiery blaze before quickly forming a smaller sphere of energy built from the power of the Digital Hazard, which he sent rocketing into the dark dragon's stomach, knocking BlackGuilmon off his feet and sending him crashing into a cluster of trees.

_"Gattling Attack!"_

_This is becoming tiresome…_ thought Lucemon irritably as his Hazard symbol flashed once more and the two organic rockets that the android Ultimate had fired at him burst into data particles.

_Now for Andromon…_ thought Lucemon raising his left hand, the Hazard symbol imprinted on it flaring slightly as he prepared to fire a Hazard death bolt at the cybernetic digimon.

" _I know that I don't have any way to hold you to anything, or have a reason to ask this of you," said Aiko as she looked at Lucemon calmly. "And even though I'm certain that you'll go and do what ever you feel is necessary, and we can't do anything to stop you, but… I want you to promise me that none of the children or their digimon will be harmed. If you want to understand what love is… you_ will _not harm them."_

_Wha…?_

Lucemon paused in his attack, perplexed as to why the memory of Aiko asking him to promise her to not hurt any of the Tamer children or their partners had come to him. After all, he had a mission to fulfill and this Andromon was in the way of his completing it! Besides, what did he owe her anyway? She was beneath him…!

" _You sound just like Ophanimon…"_ the memory from this morning whispered to him, and recollections of her, Noriko, and the other child Dai caring for him flashed through his mind. Aiko especially as he recalled the look of age, of _experience_ that he had seen in her eyes when they had talked… she may not have been Ophanimon. She may just be a mere _human_ , but there was something about her personality that called to him to honor her request. To do otherwise was a dishonorable act and though he himself had not been known for honor or mercy in the past, he could not abide betrayal.

An ironic sentiment, Lucemon felt. He had done his fair share of betraying in the past.

All this he thought upon in the time space of a second, and just as he began to tone down the power of his attack, with the intention to incapacitate rather then delete, a dozen balls of blue flames rained down on him from out of nowhere.

_"Fox Tail Inferno!"_

* * *

Takato was struggling against the feeling of helplessness that he was experiencing as the battle raged before him. He was finding that he hated watching his friends go out and fight battles and he was unable to help them. What made it worse was that this battle was being fought _because_ of him. Because of a couple mistakes that he had made. He disliked fighting since before his Tamer days, and disliked it even more when Jeri had lost Leomon, and the battles against D-Reaper had only heightened this emotion, though it had been tempered back by the knowledge that if he _didn't_ find the resolve to do what was necessary and fight, all that he and the others knew and loved would be lost. And now, having experienced another tragedy involving a _very_ close friend of his, and seeing the cycle of violence perpetuated…

Takato could not stand being unable to help his friends, and he hated the senseless fighting even more. He had to do somethi…

_"Fox Tail Inferno!"_ Cried out a voice, jarring Takato's thoughts and causing both him and Kazu to look up just in time to see a flurry of azure fireballs rush over their heads and impact with Lucemon right before he could fire at Andromon. A second later, the lithe form of Kyubimon soared over them before rolling into a ball, blue flames enveloping her body as she did so.

_"Dragon Wheel!"_ Kyubimon shouted as the fires stretched out from her body, assuming a serpentine form and surging towards Lucemon.

_If Kyubimon's here,_ thought Takato as both he began to take a look around. _Then where's…?_

"Rika!" Called out Kazu as he spied their red haired friend running towards them. "For once I'm glad to see you! We've got a fight with Lucemon here and…"

"I can see _that_!" Snapped Rika as she drew a card from her deck box, taking a moment to frown at Takato as she did so (the fierceness of her glower enough to make Takato flinch mentally and wonder what it was that he had done _this_ time) and take in his condition before turning her attention back to the battle at hand. She was quick to take note of the fact that somewhere down the line, Kazu had managed to digivolve his partner to the Ultimate level, but decided that now was not the time to comment on it. Andromon was currently slashing at Lucemon with his Lightning Blade while Kyubimon added to his attack with her Fox Tail Inferno attack. Both to no avail so far, as the angel either kept evading or shielding against the attacks. To her eyes, it looked like Lucemon was holding back for some reason, though why this could be Rika couldn't ascertain, though she suspected that he was saving his strength for a shot at the dark colored digimon that was just now struggling to get to his feet.

"All right," said Rika as she willed a Blue Card into existence. "Let's see how Lucemon handles this…"

Sparks flew as Rika dragged the Blue Card through the slot of her digivice.

_M-A-T-R-I-X D-I-G-I-V-O-L-U-T-I-O-N_

A sphere of data materialized around Kyubimon as she began to digivolve.

_"Kyubimon! Matrix digivolve tooo..."_

Lucemon took note of the digivolution and came to a decision. He couldn't allow these two to delay him in accomplishing his mission any longer. In spite of the obligation that he felt that he owed to Aiko Nakata he was going to have to harm the Tamer's partners in order to continue with what he had set out to do, but for Aiko's sake he would hold back just enough so that they wouldn't be destroyed, but just put out of commission until this was all over. Gathering his energy, Lucemon's body burst with white light as he battered at the digital sphere and Andromon with as much strength as he could muster without destroying them. The sphere containing the Kyubimon shattered, and the nine-tailed vulpine digimon fell out of it, muffled cries of pain escaping her muzzle, her form phasing in and out of stability before reverse digivolving back to her Rookie form of Renamon and collapsing to the ground. A second later an inert Guardromon joined her, groans of pain filling the air. After the two digimon fell, the light died down, and Lucemon stood triumphant over them, though a feeling of exhaustion played at his limbs.

* * *

_Oh no…_ thought Takato as he saw all this, feeling his heart sink like a stone at the defeat of his two friends. Glancing over at Lucemon, Takato felt fear for the two digimon race through his mind. Fear that Lucemon would try to destroy them as Ryo and Impmon had claimed he had threatened. For some reason though, and to Takato's own relief, Lucemon no longer seemed to be concerned with them and instead turned to face the BlackGrowlmon that had somehow managed to escape the angel's wrath.

Takato looked at Rika and Kazu with worry. They had both cried out as their partner's were hit by that blast, and Kazu's legs had nearly buckled under the stress. No surprise there since they were all closely linked with their digimon, especially when they attained Ultimate or Mega level evolutions, so anything that their partner's felt in the heat of battle was going to be shared retroactively whether or not they were joined physically. It was all part of the bond, the risk that they all shared when they became Tamers.

"You guys okay?" Asked Takato as his two friends tried to recover from the trauma that they had felt their partner's go through.

"Just dandy…" began Kazu when the sudden roar of BlackGrowlmon cut loose through the air, causing all three humans to cover their ears from the intensity. Takato, Rika, and Kazu all looked in BlackGrowlmon's direction, and noticed a strange, crimson aura surrounding the dark dragon. A second later, Takato's D-Arc began to glow with a foreboding dark light, and with a cry of surprise and pain Takato fell forward to the ground, landing on his knees and clutching his sides, shivering intensely.

Now it was Rika and Kazu's turn to become concerned, and they shook off their own pains as much as they could. Wincing as she held her left side, Rika reached out and placed a hand on Takato's shuddering form.

"Takato!"

"Hey," said Kazu looking over at the two. "What's wrong with Chumley? Is he…?"

"Would you shut up?" Demanded Rika as she tried to raise Takato up so that she could get a better look at him. "I'm trying to figure that out!"

Rika glanced up at BlackGrowlmon, noticing that the strange crimson aura that surrounded him was growing. Enveloping the dark digimon like fire.

_What's going on with Dragon-boy?_

Rika looked back at Takato.

_Could_ he _be causing this?_

* * *

Lucemon took a step towards BlackGrowlmon, his left hand glowing as he did so. The digimon crouched down and growled at him, his body taking on a red glow but Lucemon wasn't concerned. His main worries were out of the way and now he could fully concentrate on this _creature_. It was time to finally complete what he had set out to do…

Suddenly the crimson glow that surrounded BlackGrowlmon burst into a blinding light, and the angelic digimon jumped back in surprise, his arms raised in an attempt to protect his eyes from the worst of the glare.

* * *

BlackGrowlmon had been studying the combatants even when he was fighting, peripherally analyzing each and every action that had occurred so far. He had noticed the digivolution of the Guardromon and the attempted digivolution of Kyubimon. The humans seemed to have some kind of affect on them that had given the Guardromon and Kyubimon the strength that they needed to digivolve. Having felt the affects of digivolution, the sensation and the surge of new power that went with it, and the continuous feeling of _strength_ , strength that came from somewhere that felt _close by,_ yet undefined as to its location unless he more fully concentrated on it, BlackGrowlmon could believe that this was the case.

His cold, yellow eyes swiveling over to the child that he had been pursuing since this morning, BlackGrowlmon began to wonder… the connection that he felt with the boy. Was _this_ what the connection was?

Could the boy be somehow responsible for his digivolving?

Focusing on that feeling of strength, BlackGrowlmon reached out for it mentally, almost without realizing it, and began to forcefully draw on it. There was a feeling of resistance, but that resistance was weak. It faltered, and soon the dark colored dragon felt _power_ coursing through his limbs! _The_ _strength!_ BlackGrowlmon drew on it greedily, forcing it out. Pulling on it with every ounce of savagery and willpower that he could gather, and roaring to the skies BlackGrowlmon felt a strange, but familiar feeling rush through his body. A crimson aura enveloped his body as the power grew, and words involuntarily came to his mouth.

* * *

Takato gritted his teeth as his body shook. He felt _cold_! He couldn't understand it, but he felt as though something, some inner warmth, was being pulled out of him. He tried to fight it, tried to keep that heat inside but try as he might he was failing. The world was growing dim for him now, fading and blurring in and out and the feeling of something being drawn out of him grew forcefully. Distantly he felt something, a hand touching him, comforting him as it tried to pull him up. He tried to respond but he couldn't. He was trying so hard just to keep from…

He felt something let go and his vision of the world spun. Takato didn't even feel the impact as he hit the ground.

* * *

_"Takato!"_ Rika and Kazu both cried as the boy collapsed completely. Fear slammed home in Rika's heart as she grabbed a firm hold of Takato's shirt and flipped him over onto his back.

_What's wrong with him? It's almost like he's…_

BlackGrowlmon roared again, breaking through her thoughts and forcing her to look up to see what was going on.

_"BlackGrowlmon! Matrix digivolve tooo..."_

_As if things weren't bad enough already…_ Rika thought.


	32. The Battle

The sounds of sirens blaring filled the Hypnos control room as all throughout the building, scientists and technicians ran every which way, getting to their stations as quickly as possible and gathering the massive amount of data that was coming in. They had every reason to move quickly. According to their sensors, an incredibly powerful digimon had just digivolved in Shinjuku Park, not once but _twice!_ Further investigation revealed multiple digivolutions and the unleashing of digital attacks. Something big was going on, and everyone was in a hurry to find out what it was.

"I want a report," growled Yamaki as he stepped into the control room, his voice barely concealing the anger that he felt coursing through his system. _"Now!"_

Riley and Tally both gritted their teeth as they typed furiously on their keyboards, trying to process the information as rapidly as possible. However, with the amount of data that they were receiving, this process was becoming increasingly difficult for them to accomplish.

"We're trying to organize the data sir," said Riley with a note of stress in her voice. "But there's just too much right now for us to get an accurate reading!"

Yamaki bit back a curse. He couldn't believe that this was happening again. That digimon were preparing to fight it out in the real world on such an extensive level. No doubt the Tamers were smack in the middle of it all, but even with that knowledge Yamaki knew that the odds that there would be extensive property damage and lives lost were pretty high. His superiors would not be thrilled to have to deal with another digimon attack of this magnitude, _especially_ so soon after the attack that killed Guilmon and the earlier Parasimon attacks. All they understood were results and not the difficulty or the sensitivity of the situation. Digimon were living creatures just like humans were even if they were made out of data. You couldn't just simply _destroy_ them without considering the importance of that life, no matter what they were, but how to coexist with them when all that the majority of the digimon did upon entering the real world was cause havoc? All too often Yamaki had felt as though he was helpless to protect his world from the unrelenting tide of digimon that entered it through the very communication system that humans had created. Their power, the devastation that they caused when they unleashed their strength upon an unsuspecting world…

Yamaki clenched his fist. In the past when something like this happened he would have given the order to activate Juggernaut so that the threat would be neutralized, but as past experience had shown Juggernaut more often than not aggravated the problem rather then relieve it. He had been blind, angry, arrogant, and prideful in those days, and that may have contributed to the flaws that helped corrupt Juggernaut and turn it into a portal between the worlds. He would not fall into that trap again. Especially not now since Shibumi was currently utilizing Juggernaut for a _special_ project of his, and to use it now would be disastrous for what the Monster Maker had in mind.

Looking at the screens as they processed the information coming from the park, Yamaki grimaced. Even though he was sure that the Tamers were already in the middle of this, he couldn't just sit on the sidelines. Steps had to be taken to ensure the safety of the general public.

"Riley," said the blonde haired head of Hypnos. "Sound a general evacuation of all civilians that are closest to the disaster zone and begin quarantine procedures."

"Yes sir," said the red haired Chief Operator as she continued to type on her computer, laying in her new orders and activating emergency protocols.

"Also," began Yamaki. "Have the _Argus_ program on standby."

There was a gasp from one of the two operators at the name, but neither one spoke up in protest, simply continuing to enter commands as they complied with their orders.

Yamaki turned away and pulled out his cell phone. There was one person that he had to apprise of the situation, as the distance between himself and the other Tamers played an important role in his duties. Provided that he wasn't already aware of what was going on and already on his way...

* * *

Ryo Akiyama made his way down the stairs; fully garbed in his red sweater, light brown jeans, with his D-Arc clipped to his belt alongside his deck of cards. He was prepared to face whatever challenges that would make themselves known today, and he expected there to be quite a few. To begin with, once he had gotten home his father, who had been waiting for him, had gruffly informed him that Yamaki had managed to pull some strings so that he could get a day off from school and lend a hand with the search for the _BlackGuilmon_ that had shown up earlier.

Ryo frowned. There was still so much about this that bothered him. For starters there was the fact that Takato had essentially _recreated_ his partner, Guilmon, except that it hadn't come out the way that any of them would have expected. Even Ryo had to admit, based on what he had been told this was certainly something that he hadn't expected. He hadn't seen Takato as the type of person who would do something of that sort out of desperation, but then he guessed that Takato's reaction to Guilmon's death showed just how deeply he cared about the crimson dinosaur, and how important a presence he had become in the Goggle-wearing Tamer's life. It was tough losing a partner, as Jeri could easily attest to, and there was no denying that the pain that came with losing a partner digimon was pretty bad, but for Takato it had to be that much worse. Takato had _created_ Guilmon out of a combination of his dreams, a digivice, and a bunch of drawings, so essentially the crimson dino was every bit a part of Takato as an arm, a leg, or his soul.

Ryo could understand that. When you've allowed yourself to trust someone enough to the point where you could actually meld your consciousness with them, to trust them and share everything that you are with them and know that they've got your back… there were few bonds that could be that strong. That close. And few people ever find one with the depth and strength that Takato and Guilmon had.

_I guess for now all we can do is track down that BlackGuilmon and then take things from there. Either way, I think Takato is going to be a long time recovering from this._

Ryo entered the kitchen where he found his father calmly drinking some coffee and reading the morning newspaper.

"Hey Dad," said Ryo cheerfully. The elder Akiyama simply glanced at the boy and _hmmphed_ , frowning slightly before returning to his paper.

_Uh oh. What did I do now?_

For nearly as long as Ryo had been a Tamer, and even before that, his relationship with his father had been a strained one, and there were plenty of reasons for it, most having to do with Ryo's _occupation_ , the destiny that refused to leave him alone no matter what dimension he was in, and of course there was the matter of his _partner_ …

_It's not like it's something that I can help,_ thought Ryo. _There're just some forces in the universe that can't be just left alone. Someone's gotta be there to keep an eye on them, and like it or not I was chosen to handle this sort of thing._

As Ryo thought about this, wishing that the universe had thought to at least make it easier on his family, he remembered how Rika and Jeri always believed that people could choose their own destiny. There had been a time where he hadn't believed that, and deep down he supposed that he still did, but in retrospect he was the one who had said essentially said _yes_ when he had been confronted with the decision, and had taken that first step forward when Cyberdramon called for him from the digital world.

Yes. He could easily say that he had _chosen_ his own destiny, even if he had been a little naïve about what he was getting into in the beginning. Not that he would ever change a single thing if he knew then what he knew now.

"Yamaki called," said Ryo's father gruffly as he took a sip from his coffee mug while at the same time looking as though he were trying to ignore his son. Ryo raised an eyebrow at this, and his father continued. "He mentioned something about there being some trouble in Shinjuku Park."

Ryo nodded grimly.

"Thanks Dad," the boy said before turning around and leaving the room at a rapid pace. In the silence that followed, Ryo's father continued to drink his coffee, but his grip on his paper had now clearly crumpled the sides, and a quiet grumble escaped his mouth.

He had sacrificed much because of his son's _destiny_ , and he knew that Ryo knew it as well. Not for the first time he had been tempted to ask the boy to choose between him and his destiny, but he knew that there really was no choice to make. It was difficult, _extremely_ difficult having to live with this fact, especially when the two of them had a constant reminder of Ryo's destiny living in the same house as they did.

But what else could he do except accept what simply was?

Ryo's father took another sip from his coffee and returned to reading his paper, but his troubled thoughts did not disappear with that of his son.

* * *

Ryo dashed out the door of his home, already removing his D-Arc as he came up to his partner, Cyberdramon, who was waiting outside for him, growling impatiently.

"Saddle up, Cyberdramon. It's time for us to go!"

"Finally," Cyberdramon growled approvingly as Ryo raised his D-Arc.

_"Biomerge activate!"_

There was a flash of light, and seconds later a cybernetic figure, scarf blowing in the wind with all the appearance of the ever-triumphant hero, leapt into the sky, his path taking him on a course that would lead him to Shinjuku Park.

_Air Justimon. The only way to travel…_

* * *

A great roar filled the air as a massive form burst from the Park's interior, cybernetic arms raised up to give emphasis to its elation, the great blades attached to their sides segmenting trees as they did so. Its skin, a dark, obsidian color covered by darkened metal armor emblazoned with the familiar symbol of the Digital Hazard. Growling coldly through its armored jaw, the creature took a thundering step forward, trees snapping and falling to the ground beneath the weight of the giant cybernetic saurian.

Henry and Terriermon had drawn up short at the edge of the park at the sight of the dark form of a digimon that looked so very much like their dead friend.

"Henry," began Terriermon, a rather sarcastic note of fear in his voice. "Let me be the first to say that it's been nice working with ya…"

"Terriermon…" said Henry more out of habit than anything else. In truth, he was more than a little bit intimidated by the appearance of a darker version of WarkGrowlmon, but he was not ready to resign his fate just yet. Just because this digimon resembled Guilmon and his digivolved forms did not mean that he was facing Guilmon. _This_ digimon was something different. Not the friend that he and Terriermon had fought alongside by, and that was something that he was going to have to remember if he was going to fight it, and judging by the fact that it had digivolved to the Ultimate level so soon after bio-emerging it certainly looked like that was going to be the case. Pulling out his D-Arc, Henry called up the stats of the new WarGrowlmon.

BlackWarGrowlmon

Type: Virus

Stage: Ultimate

Special Attacks: Atomic Blaster, Radiation Blade

_This is so wrong,_ thought Henry as he lowered his digivice, the halo of data hovering above its screen disappearing as he did so. _How was he even able to digivolve at all? I didn't think that he even_ had _a partner unless…_

Henry's eyes widened as a thought occurred to him.

… _Unless he really_ is _connected to Takato in the same way that Guilmon was, which could only mean that he's in dange…_

A tree was ripped from out of the park and sent flying in Henry's direction as the cyborg Ultimate began to slash at some, small, barely identifiable object that flew around it, evading the larger digimon with almost laughable ease. Henry dashed to the side, barely escaping the tree as it crashed to the ground. Henry rolled on the ground, the impact knocking Terriermon off his shoulder with a cry.

"Terriermon!" Shouted Henry as he picked up his partner and looked him over. Just some dirt and a couple scrapes decorated his body, but a quick look at where the shattered tree lay told him that it could have been much, much worse had he not moved.

"Okay," said Henry, getting back up to the ground shakily. " _Now_ would be a good time for a _momentai_ …"

"Sorry Henry," replied Terriermon as he climbed back onto Henry's shoulder. "I'm kind of feeling momentailess right now…"

"Well there's a first. Okay. Get ready. We're going to have to bio…"

"HENRY!" Shouted a voice from behind him, interrupting the half-Chinese boy. Turning, Henry saw Jeri Katou running towards him, gasping for breath as she did so.

_Did she run all the way here?_ Wondered Henry, feeling a bit amazed at the girl's spirit.

Jeri came to a stop in front of him.

"Henry," the brown haired girl gasped, her breathing ragged as she spoke. "That other Guilmon that Takato told us about… he showed up at Takato's house and attacked him! Takato… He… he tried to lead it away and…"

Jeri looked up at the tree line of the park and for the first time noticed the dark Ultimate that continued to slash away at the offending digimon that flew around him like an irritating mosquito, the latter firing small blasts of energy at the larger digimon as it maneuvered away from BlackWarGrowlmon's arm blades.

BlackWarGrowlmon roared in irritation as he continued to slash away relentlessly at the annoying wasp of a digimon.

"Takato…" gasped Jeri and she began to dash forward once more, only to be stopped by Henry as he caught her by her right arm.

"Jeri! Don't! There're digimon fighting over there! You could get hurt if you got in the middle of that!"

"But Takato's out there! He could be hurt…!"

"I know that Jeri! But you can't go running in there blindly, especially with the way that digimon is going at it! You won't do Takato any good if you get yourself hurt or killed!"

"Yeah Jeri," piped in Terriermon. "Momentai for now."

"Nnngh… Terriermon! This _is not_ a good time for a momentai!"

Jeri's eyes widened in surprise and she looked away. She wanted desperately to do something, but… Henry was right. She would only just get in the way with those two digimon out there fighting. Maybe if someone kept them busy…

Nodding reluctantly to the boy, Jeri's body relaxed, and Henry let go of her. With one last worried look from both Terriermon and Henry, the half-Chinese Tamer stepped back and raised his D-Arc.

"Henry," said Jeri all of a sudden. "Please make sure that Takato's going to be all right…"

Henry's gaze met Jeri's and his face softened.

"I'll do what I can," said the boy, and a second later his green trimmed D-Arc burst into a blinding white light as both he and Terriermon were enveloped in a whirlpool of data.

_"Biomerge activate!"_

As Jeri watched, Henry's body was transformed into emerald data and merged with that of his long eared partner, surrounding them in a sphere. The sphere of data grew to tremendous proportions, and within it a familiar, armored figure began to materialize.

_"Terriermon! Biomerge tooo..."_

The sphere of data shattered, and from it emerged the massive, robotic war machine known to all as…

_"MegaGargomon!"_

Clad in the glorious, emerald light of his partner's Mega form, Henry crouched instinctively into a fighting stance as he turned his vision over to the BlackWarGrowlmon as it continued to battle against its opponent, its atomic cannons powering up as it took aim. Henry's eyes narrowed.

" _We'd better put a stop to this as quickly as possible before they cause any more damage,"_ said Henry.

" _You said it,"_ replied Terriermon as they both took a step forward in their Mega form. _"But Henry, if Takato's linked to BlackWarGrowlmon… seeing as how he's digivolved to the Ultimate level, how are we supposed to stop him without hurting Takato?"_

In his sphere of data, Henry grimaced. What he was going to have to do was not going to sit well with him.

" _We'll do what we can Terriermon, and hope that Takato makes it out all right…"_

Deep in Henry's heart though, the seed of doubt lay.

* * *

BlackWarGrowlmon powered up his energy cannons as he took aim at the angelic digimon that flew around him. He was starting to become increasingly impatient with this battle. This digimon was proving to be more of an annoyance than anything else, even though it was quite clear that it was capable of so much more, having defeated an Ultimate and a digivolving Champion with ease. Why the Lucemon hadn't done the same to him was beyond his comprehension unless that is he needed to recharge after unleashing all that power. Regardless of why Lucemon was holding back, it did provide the dark war dragon with a slight advantage, and that was he had time to properly mount an offense against his opponent. Growling deep in his throat, BlackWarGrowlmon prepared to unleash his attack in one searing blast that would surely delete this powerful enemy.

_"Atomic Blaste…!"_

Suddenly, several green bursts of energy appeared out of nowhere and nailed Lucemon dead center, sending him careening towards the center of the park with a small salvo of missiles following after him. Turning to see what it was that was responsible for interrupting his attack, BlackWarGrowlmon hissed viciously. Standing before him was a massive, green colored, armored digimon with a face that resembled a dog, its body just bristling with armaments that rivaled his own. There was much power in this newcomer… and it had the smell of a vaccine…

"All right," spoke MegaGargomon as he approached BlackWarGrowlmon cautiously in a high-pitched, comical voice. "As the protector of this city I order you to cease and desist! Now, are you going to come along quietly or am I going to have to get rough with ya?"

In response, BlackWarGrowlmon turned his cannons on the Mega mecha and fired at full power.

_"Atomic Blaster!"_

" _I told you that wouldn't work,"_ muttered Henry from within his data sphere as MegaGargomon got into a defensive position, the rays of energy surging towards them.

_"Uh… momentai?"_

* * *

Justimon was just approaching the scene of battle and he took in the situation. MegaGargomon was throwing down with what looked like a dark colored version of Guilmon's Ultimate form, shrugging off an Atomic Blaster attack with relative ease before charging in for a close range battle and Justimon began to divert his course so that he could help out the giant Mega though admittedly, two vaccine Megas against an Ultimate Virus would be considered overkill, they had to minimize the amount of damage that would be caused from the fighting as much as possible. As he began to move closer, something caught Justimon's attention.

It was nothing at first glance. Just a smoking area in the park where a stray blast from either MegaGargomon or BlackWarGrowlmon could have sent an attack. But as he watched, he saw a form begin to rise from it. An all too familiar form of a twelve-winged angel.

_Okay. If_ he _gets involved then things are going to get really bad…_

Justimon once again changed his course of flight, aiming towards the figure hidden in the smoke.

* * *

Lucemon was _furious_! Once again he was coming to clashes with the Tamers and their partners _in-spite_ of his warnings, and now one of them, a powerful Mega, had just shot him out of the sky as though he were garbage to be disposed of! Why a digimon like MegaGargomon would intervene against an inferior, and dangerous digimon that had nothing to do with him baffled him as much as the display of emotion that the two children had shown when he first attacked the new vessel of the Hazard.

But the boy…

Lucemon frowned as he shook off the pain from MegaGargomon's attacks and spread his wings. From what he had observed, the Tamers were apparently capable of digivolving digimon, and given that the new vessel of the Hazard resembled the first Great Beast, the one who was the partner of the boy in the blue shirt, there may exist a chance that there _was_ a link between the vessel and the human, in which case destroying the digimon until they could find a way to break that link, if that was their goal, was _not_ an option. But then… the boy had survived the first experience so then why…?

Lucemon shook off the thought and instead resolved to just carry out his personal mission and destroy the Beast of the Hazard. Once that was done he could focus on returning to the digital world. He had been gone for far too long all ready.

As Lucemon began to rise into the air, his body began to glow, and with a thought he dispersed the smoke that had enveloped him since MegaGargomon's missiles had struck him. Turning his face up, his light azure eyes widened in surprise as he saw an incoming projectile.

_"Justice Kick!"_

Lucemon's view of the world lurched as he felt something impact with the side of his skull.

As Lucemon fell back to the ground, Justimon flipped over and with an easy grace landed on the ground in a kneeling position before standing up and turning to face the angel. Lucemon was propping himself up on one arm, already recovering from the attack. Even though he was a Rookie, he was immensely powerful and could easily take attacks that would do in most digimon of his level. But as a celestial digimon he was in a class all by himself. Despite his seemingly fragile appearance, Justimon knew that he was going to be in for a fight.

Lucemon fixed Justimon with a glare.

"I can sense you in there, _Legendary Tamer_ ," said the angel coolly. "I thought that I told you what the consequences would be if you and your allies interfered with my mission."

"I owe it to Takato though," said Justimon. "He's my friend, and more than anyone else here I know what its like to have to face against something like what Megidramon was. The only difference being is that what happened with Takato and Guilmon was more of an accident and a result of anger and horror over the killing of a friend. _I_ don't have that excuse. If nothing else, it would have made much more sense to come after me."

Lucemon's eyes narrowed as he got to his feet.

"What do you mean?"

"You can talk about it with your bosses later. For now, consider this a preliminary to what might be our next meeting. _Thunder Clap!"_

With the pronouncement of his special attack, Justimon's right arm expanded and changed shape before slamming into the ground with intense force, sending shockwaves surging towards Lucemon. Reacting quickly Lucemon leapt into the air, dodging the shock waves as they tore up the park path, his body already glowing as a facsimile of the Earth's solar system appeared in front of him. Focusing the power of the Digital Hazard into his attack, Lucemon took aim and fired.

* * *

Rika held onto Takato protectively as BlackWarGrowlmon surged forward to combat Lucemon, the two combatants fortunately taking the fight away from the three of them as they did so. Feeling the tension running through her, Rika looked over to where Guardromon and Renamon had fallen. They were both getting back to their feet, slowly, shakily, but they were recovering nonetheless. Looking over to the side, Rika found Kazu staring dumbly at the fight that was raging.

"Kazu!" Rika snapped, bringing the visor-wearing boy out of his daze. "Would you snap out of it already and give me a hand with Gogglehead? Or better yet, help your partner get to his feet! We've got to get out of here!"

"Huh?" Came Kazu's intelligent reply. " _You're_ actually calling a retreat? That's not like you."

" _Look_ Visor-boy," Growled Rika as she placed one of Takato's arms over her shoulder and she tried to help him stand up. The kid had been unconscious ever since BlackGuilmon had digivolved, and Rika did not like what that entailed. "Our digimon just got hurt badly out there, and with those two digimon going at it the way they are and Takato out of it…"

The sound of Takato's name being spoken was all it took to get Kazu moving.

" _Get Chumley to safety!_ You got it! Guardromon!"

"Coming Kazu…" said the robotic digimon weakly as he finally stumbled to his feet. Renamon, who was also now recovering phased over to the two children and helped Rika shoulder Takato's limp form. Rika was considering just letting Kazu and Guardromon take off with Takato while she and Renamon biomerged and try to alleviate the situation as best as they could when a familiar cry caught her attention.

_"Mega Barrage!"_

_Sounds like the cavalries here,_ thought Rika smiling a little. _But even at the Mega level I'll bet Henry's going to need our help. Lucemon's already proven that he can take out one Mega, and if Henry has to hold back on BlackWarGrowlmon's account…_

"Guardromon. Kazu. I want you two to take Takato and get out of here. Renamon?" The red haired girl and the blue-eyed kitsune looked at each other, the latter already knowing what the former wanted and nodding. Rika took one last moment to look at Takato as she and Renamon handed him over to Kazu's overbearing mechanical partner. Needless to say he was not in very good shape right now. Scratches from his run through the park covered his exposed skin, and the paleness of his face worried her. Right before Takato had passed out BlackGrowlmon had digivolved to his Ultimate form without the aid of a Blue Card. If the two of them had a link, it apparently was not the most beneficial of bonds.

_Did Dragon Boy somehow force Takato to digivolve him? By draining him of his energy?_

Rika's face softened for a moment before hardening in anger.

_Takato…_

Gently cupping the side of his face for a quick second, Rika let the boy go and then turned around, her face a portrait of fury.

"What're you waiting for?" She said roughly to Kazu. "An invitation? Get out of here!"

Kazu paused for a moment before looking over at his partner, holding onto Takato gingerly before looking back and nodding reluctantly. Without anything further said between them, the two partners took off at a rapid pace while Rika pulled out her blue trimmed digivice.

_Let's get this over with,_ Rika thought fiercely as she raised her D-Arc to the sky.

_"Biomerge activate!"_

A blinding light cascaded over the area of the park where Rika and Renamon stood. The light grew brighter until it was impossible to look at and words rang upon the air.

_"Renamon! Biomerge tooo...Sakuyamon!"_

The light died down swiftly, revealing a tall, female shaman, garbed in golden armor, purple gloves and high-heeled boots, and a fox shaped facemask. Long, white hair tied behind her flowed down the length of her back, and in one hand was clutched a bronze vajra staff. Looking up into the sky, the shaman digimon known as Sakuyamon, the biomerged form of Rika and Renamon, leapt into the sky to lend aid to their friends.


	33. Hazard's Redemption

Noriko Nakato exited the front door of her home and waited for a moment, holding her school bag carefully in one hand, looking out over the street that her home lay on. It had a rather interesting mixture of the modern and the traditional designs for a home, owing to American influences coupled with Japanese styles. It was a good home, on a good street, with a seemingly normal life to go with it. Noriko took a moment to reflect at how _normal_ had ceased to apply to her life all of a sudden. Barely a week ago she had nothing to do with digimon, and now she had one dwelling in her house.

Noriko lowered her eyes. Actually _had_ was a pretty good way to say it, as in _the past tense_. When she had woken up this morning and gone out to the kitchen to get her breakfast, she had found her mother there, calmly drinking some tea with a small group of pure white feathers resting on the table in front of her, the woman's eyes looking at them thoughtfully. As soon Noriko saw this scene, she had a feeling that something was up, and so it didn't take her long to voice her concerns. Upon hearing her daughter's question she had looked up and told her simply that Lucemon had taken leave of their home, with the apparent intention of completing his mission and returning to the digital world, Noriko had at first found herself struggling with trying to understand what her mother had just told her and had allowed to happen. Had she…? Did she…?

She had asked those questions, as if to confirm what she had heard, and upon their confirmation Noriko's next words were those of shock, quickly turning to anger, and rapidly boiling towards rage. Lucemon had killed a digimon and her mother apparently didn't find it fit to do anything about it except let him go his own way! She had asked – no, _demanded_ that she explain herself!

Aiko's own reaction stopped Noriko short of exploding fully on her mother. No heated words emerged from her mother's mouth, but she could tell that there was a cool anger behind her words; a cool anger that simmered just beneath the surface. Noriko had rarely seen her mother angry; irritated, annoyed, exasperated yes, but angry?

The last time Noriko had seen her mother angry had been when her father had…

The dark haired girl's thoughts paused at this memory and she closed her crimson eyes against it, shooing it away with just a thought. She hated to think about that. With a sigh she returned her thoughts to this morning, and the conversation that she had shared with her mother before her little brother woke up and joined the realm of the living. Aiko had explained to her that though she couldn't condone Lucemon's actions, there was just too much that they didn't know about the situation to properly make a decision on the matter. Too many aspects to consider, and every action that they took could, and most likely _would_ have unforeseen consequences, and with a world that was completely separate from that of the humans, with its own rules and traditions. How much of a right did they have to interfere in the matters of digimon?

Of course, before Noriko could make a scathing reply to this, Aiko did as much admit that since digimon seemed to be _tangled up_ with humans, so to speak, destinies intertwined and bonds shared, that yes they did have a reason to interfere, but… there was the sense that Aiko had that Lucemon was doing something important. Something that _could not_ be interrupted no matter what, and though she couldn't explain her reasons for it fully, Aiko was going to listen to that sense.

At this Noriko couldn't say anything. What could she say? She had long been used to this strange sixth sense that her mother seemed to have, whether it was from a greater wisdom gained through experience or something else she didn't know for sure. She hated the idea that her mother was depending on some vague feeling but past events had shown her to rarely be in the wrong whenever they came to her. All her own instincts told her that Lucemon was in the wrong about what he had done, and apparently still intended on doing based on her own conversations with the angel and her mother. Both had hinted, Aiko more strongly than Lucemon, that the digimon's work was not done in this world, and that he was going to stick it out here until he was finished. She was half tempted to find him and try to make him stop, but what could she do? After all, she was only human…

Her eyes narrowing in annoyance, Noriko tapped her foot on the ground impatiently. _Why_ did her brother always do this to her?

"Dai! Come on! We've got to get going or we'll be late to school again! You know that Mr. Mori won't accept another late excuse aga…!"

Noriko was suddenly cut off by the sound of a huge explosion emanating from somewhere within the city. Whirling around, the dark haired girl's crimson eyes widened as she saw a trail of smoke climbing into the air from a direction that was _quite_ familiar to her.

_That's coming from the park…_

With a sinking feeling of dread, Noriko's school bag fell to the ground with a plop, its impact going unnoticed by the girl. Almost without even thinking about it, Noriko took off at a run, racing towards the park.

As time went on, she would be unable to recall what had made her make such a rash decision.

* * *

MegaGargomon dug in as BlackWarGrowlmon crashed into him, snarling and growling loudly as the dark Virus tried to bring his arm blades to bear on the Mega digimon. As strong as BlackWarGrowlmon was however, he didn't stand a chance of overpowering MegaGargomon. He was one level beneath the giant Mecha in terms of evolution, and he already had a type disadvantage to go along with it so his attacks were less effective against the cybernetic Vaccine than vice versa. Understanding this instinctively, BlackWarGrowlmon's mind was already raising to find a way to compensate for this handicap.

It had occurred to him that an attack at a much closer range would go a long way towards making up for this.

The cannons on his chest powered up, and BlackWarGrowlmon pulled back slightly, aiming for what he perceived to be the weakest portion of MegaGargomon's armor located at his stomach area. It was devoid of the green plates that otherwise covered the rest of his massive body so as to allow for flexibility so perhaps, BlackWarGrowlmon reasoned, by firing there he could damage, possibly even defeat the Mega. Though his instincts told him to not hold out for much, if this plan did succeed then he'd be able to download his data and use it to either digivolve or continue with his attack on Lucemon. He had been trying to access the power of evolution that had been granted to him by his newly discovered bond with the human boy wearing the blue shirt, but for some reason it had been cut off…

BlackWarGrowlmon forced those thoughts away for the time being to focus on the here and now. One thing at a time…

_"Atomic Blaste…!"_

_"Power Pummel!"_

BlackWarGrowlmon was suddenly caught off guard by a powerful blow to his head, cutting off his attack and sending him crashing to the ground, debris being thrown every which way as the mass of his form broke and cracked the earth beneath him. Out of the corner of his eye, BlackWarGrowlmon noticed another digimon approaching the scene of battle. It had the resemblance of a female priestess, and the scent that he was already picking up reminded him of the Renamon and red haired human girl that he had encountered upon first entering the real world.

BlackWarGrowlmon snarled as he was reminded of his first battle in the human world, and a dark feeling of hatred and resentment welled up within him. With this feeling empowering him, BlackWarGrowlmon got back to his feet, glowering at the MegaGargomon that stood before him, cautiously waiting to see what he would do. BlackWarGrowlmon wondered why it hadn't finished him off yet. It had every chance to do so! Instead all it seemed to be doing was standing there, watching him and looking like it was having a conversation with itself!

Deciding that he just didn't care enough and that it was far more important to take whatever advantages he could BlackWarGrowlmon once again began to power up his cannons and took aim at MegaGargomon just as the shaman digimon began to close in.

* * *

_"Geez Henry! What are you trying to do? Take his head off? I thought that you wanted him_ alive? _And who knows what affect this'll have on Takato? If I recall correctly, you guys feel the same pain that we do when we're in our Ultimate forms, and last I checked this guy was…"_

_"I realize that Terriermon!"_ Henry snapped, beginning to feel exasperated at the situation yet helpless to do anything to change it. _"But as he is right now, BlackWarGrowlmon is a threat to the city! If we can't get him to de-digivolve in some way he can cause a lot of damage! Maybe even kill people and we can't let that happen! As much as I hate to do it, we have to stop him even if it means Takato gets hurt in the process. The least we can do is make it as painless as possible. That is_ if _Takato is linked closely enough with BlackWarGrowlmon to feel the same things that he does…"_

Henry could hear Terriermon sigh from within his data sphere.

_"I know Henry. And I get what you're saying, but I just don't like it. I'll follow your lead, but I just wish that there was another way to end this."_

_"I know,"_ said Henry nodding. _"Takato's already been through enough. I just hope that his link or whatever it was that made BlackWarGrowlmon digivolve isn't strong enough to affect him the way it used to with Guilmon…"_

_"Atomic Blaster!"_

_"Huh? What's…?"_

_"Oh yeah,"_ said Terriermon sarcastically as twin beams of pure, crimson energy began to surge towards them at a speed to quick for them to dodge due to their Mega forms size. _"We're supposed to be fighting BlackWarGrowlmon. Oopsies…"_

Henry growled in exasperation as he braced himself for the impact that was sure to come. The beams drew closer, crackling with a deep red color, their light cascading over the two combatants, giving the scene, and BlackWarGrowlmon in particular a macabre-like appearance that rank of murderous intent.

Suddenly there was an obstruction in the path of the two blasts.

_"Crystal Sphere!"_

From within his data sphere of MegaGargomon, Henry gasped as a familiar shaman like female, wearing a fox mask, golden battle armor, and carrying a bronze vajra staff flew in front of him, a pink and gold light enveloping her form as thousands of crystal shards materialized around her, forming a protective sphere. BlackWarGrowlmon's crimson attack struck the sphere dead on, only to be repulsed with little to no effort at all. With but a thought, the priestess digimon known as Sakuyamon coalesced the crystals that made up her shield and called up a wind that blew them at the dark, cyborg dragon that had threatened her friend.

_"Amethyst Wind!"_ Sakuyamon called out, and the shards of crystals smashed into BlackWarGrowlmon, driving him back and forcing him to raise his arms protectively so as to shield himself from the worst of the attack. Armor was rent and torn under the relentless assault, and when the attack finally ended BlackWarGrowlmon lowered his arms, glaring angrily at his two opponents. He felt each and every attack that had damaged him, every pain that shot through his form, but all it had succeeded in doing was fuel the fire that kept him from giving up. He wasn't going to let these two digimon stop him. He was going to destroy them, destroy Lucemon, and then find that boy again and when he did, he was going to claim his power as his own. He didn't know why he was linked to the human, but he did know that somehow this link was what was making him digivolve. He had to have it! He had to make that power his own, and he would find a way to make the boy give it to him, even if he had to make the human a part of him to do it!

With a growl, BackWarGrowlmon took an earth-shaking stomp towards the two Megas. He knew that he was outmatched, but at this moment he was beyond caring. At this moment, all he saw were two enemies who were keeping him from trying to claim what was his, and he wasn't going to let _anyone_ or _anything_ stop him from doing that.

_"Sakuyamon!"_ Called out Henry from within his data sphere, and the shaman digimon turned just enough to nod a greeting to him.

_"Hey!"_ Exclaimed Terriermon. _"Not that we're not appreciating the assistance or anything, but you might want to lighten it up on the dark digi-dragon over there. I thought that Yamaki told us to bring him in_ alive…"

_"Terriermon…"_ Henry sighed.

_"What? C'mon Henry! Don't you think that was a little bit extreme of her? She already knows what Yamaki told us unless that was a clone I saw at that meeting yesterday. And she's_ gotta _know or at least suspect that she could be hurting Takato just by attacking BlackWarGrowlmon there…"_

"Would you two just put a sock in it?" Growled Sakuyamon, tightening her hold on her staff as her mouth set itself in a thin, grim line. "I already know what the risks are, but we can't win this by being gentle about it! Gogglehead's tough. If there's a link between them where he feels what dragon-boy feels when he gets hit he'll get through it. So unless you want to see all of Shinjuku get flattened because Takato might get hurt by our fighting BlackWarGrowlmon here, I suggest you better suck it up. We'll do what we can to keep him alive, but we _can't_ let him destroy the city!"

From within MegaGargomon, Henry nodded.

_"She's got a point there…"_

_"I know,"_ said Terriermon. _"That's what makes it so hard though. I know that it's the right thing to do, but…"_

Terriermon sighed and stopped speaking. Henry knew what he was getting at. He didn't want Takato hurt any more then Sakuyamon or Terriermon did, but this was something that they had to do.

No matter what.

_"Let's get this over with,"_ said Henry as MegaGargomon got into a battle stance and then charged forward, Sakuyamon quickly following suit. BlackWarGrowlmon threw his head back and gave a loud roar as his two enemies came at him. The battle was about to be joined anew…

The Hazard symbol emblazoned on his armor began to glow.

* * *

Jeri eyed the fighting digimon carefully as she quickly made her way through the park, operating more on her gut instinct as she searched for Takato. In spite of Henry's urgings for her to steer clear of the battle zone, Jeri felt as though she couldn't leave well enough alone. Takato was out there, probably hurt and in trouble. She couldn't bear the thought of him being in that position, especially after everything that has already happened to him.

She cared about him too much to just take a back seat and let others try to deal with the situation.

Jeri paused along a fork in the path and glanced around, her eyes darting first left then right before coming to a decision.

_This way,_ Jeri thought before taking off down the path she had chosen. As it had been stated earlier, Jeri was going more by her instincts then anything else as she desperately searched for Takato. She herself didn't understand why she was making these decisions, though if asked she would have said that _thinking_ about her choices was farthest from her mind at that moment. She was focused only on finding Takato, and went where she felt was the right way to go, listening to the faint echoes of her heart as she raced through the park. This trait had manifested itself once before, though in a different form when she had heard Takato calling for help in the digital world, even though both he and Henry had been a very far distance away from his friends at the time, and it was this… _link_ she supposed it was, that she let lead her as she made her way through Shinjuku Park.

_"Takato!"_ Jeri called out frantically as she looked every which way, trying to find some sign of her friend. So far she had found none. Was she wrong going down this path? Did she make a mistake…?

Suddenly the form of Kazu backed by the bulky build of his mechanical partner Guardromon came into view as they sped through the park. In the overbearing arms of the rust colored robot was the inert body of Takato.

_"Takato!"_ Cried out Jeri again as she ran up to the three, causing Guardromon and Kazu to draw up to a halt suddenly as the girl all but threw herself at Guardromon, one of her hands immediately clasping his into her own as the other came up touched his face, wiping away some of the dirt that had found its way onto him, wincing at a cut that graced his cheek.

_He's so still…_ thought Jeri worriedly as she took note of his rather pale coloring, tears beginning to well up in her eyes. She had tried so hard to be there for him, to help him get through his grief and in the end…

Jeri choked back a sob, but her train of thought was interrupted by the visor-wearing boy standing next to her.

"Jeri! What're you doing here? Never mind. That's a dumb question. We've got to get out of here! MegaGargomon is slugging it out with BlackWarGrowlmon and Rika and Renamon have joined him! MegaGargomon that is… anyway. We've got to clear out of here before… hello! Earth to Jeri? Come in, Jeri! Snap out of it!"

Jeri's eyes jerked over to Kazu as she realized that he was trying to get her attention.

"Huh? Kazu! What's happened to Takato? Why is he…?"

"Long story short, that weird Dark Area reject version of Guilmon somehow digivolved to Ultimate and I think Takato's linked to him somehow and it's messing him up! Now let's go, Jeri! We've got to get Chumley out of here now while the getting's good!"

As if to drive the point home an explosive shockwave ripped through the trees as MegaGargomon called out his _Power Pummel_ attack, the force of the blow and the subsequent impact of BlackWarGrowlmon's body hitting the ground enough to send tree limbs crashing down around the three children and one digimon.

In Guardromon's arms, Takato jerked suddenly.

* * *

_He was back again… in that strange world of clocks, memories, and dreams that he always seemed to find himself in whenever he was at his darkest… whenever something had happened to Guilmon and he blamed himself for it. Just like when Growlmon had gotten hurt fighting Mihiramon because he didn't have the confidence in himself that Growlmon needed in order to win, or when he had forced WarGrowlmon to digivolve to Megidramon in order to get revenge on Beelzemon for destroying Leomon. On both occasions he had come face to face with himself… with his fears, his anger and hatred, the strain that came with being a Digimon Tamer, and now here he was once again, confronting all those feelings, seeing them and letting himself get lost in them. Lost… lost like the pair of goggles that had disappeared after he had left behind in Guilmon's old den. He didn't understand why he kept coming here, in his mind (or at least that's what he supposed it was), but for now it felt good to just drift here, in this void of nothingness. Let the world pass him by… to forget about all of his troubles…_

_"Takato…"_

_The boy frowned at the sound of the voice before shrugging it off. He had heard it before, always in his dreams but nothing had come out of them. Every time he had heard it, it had brought the hope that his friend was still alive. Had somehow managed to come back from beyond the grave to help him but… it was never a reality. Perhaps that was what had driven him to rescan the drawing in the first place. He had admitted as much to his friends yesterday. He had just felt so alone… so empty inside…_

_"Takato… never… alone…"_

_Takato began to open his eyes._

'Wha…? Did…? Is that voice…? Did he… just… know what I was thinking? Is this real?'

_"We'll always be together Takato… and that's pretty real…"_

_Takato's eyes opened fully and then both they and his mouth widened in pure, uninhibited joy as they settled upon a familiar, crimson scaled face with black markings, smiling goofily at him with those sparkling, golden eyes, showing him all the friendship, strength, life, and forgiveness that he had come to recognize in the one being that he could call his best friend…_

_"Guilmon!" Takato lunged forward and wrapped his arms around his friend, pulling him into a much-needed hug; one that the crimson dinosaur returned gratefully, but much more carefully, as he didn't want to hurt his human friend with his nearly unnatural strength. They held that position for a moment as they poured their love for each other into the hug, trying to express how much they've missed each other during the time of their separation._

_"Guilmon!" Cried Takato as he clutched the dino to him tightly. " I… I thought that I lost you!"_

_"You'll never lose me Takato," said Guilmon. "We're always together. Remember our promise? Even if I'm not with you physically, I'm still with you in spirit. Kind of like Peanut Butter and Bananas…"_

_Takato pulled back and sniffed, blinking back some of the tears that ran down his face._

_"You're crazy boy, you know that?"_

_Guilmon laughed childishly, and Takato smiled, but after a second his face softened._

_"Guilmon… I thought that you were dead. How can you be here?"_

_"I'm a part of you remember? A part of me will always be with you, no matter what. Remember what Jeri said about Leomon back when she was trapped inside D-Reaper? He was with her even then, just like I'm with you now."_

_Takato thought about this for a second before nodding._

_"I know," Takato whispered. "I've… I've been blind Guilmon. I've been so stupid. Lost in my own pain that I didn't see the truth. I can't believe that I didn't realize it sooner. I thought that as long as you were with me in the real world, physically, that was all I needed. And then… you died and a part of me died with you. I thought that I couldn't go on without you, and that I was no longer needed by the others…"_

_Takato hitched a sob, but managed to hold it back._

_"I've been so… selfish… Guilmon…"_

_Guilmon raised one claw and carefully wiped away one of his tears._

_"Takato… your friends are in trouble. They need you. You have to help them in their fight, otherwise… otherwise…"_

_Guilmon let the sentence trail off; knowing that his partner would understand what he was getting at. Takato's body stiffened, unsure as to what he could do._

_"But what can I do Guilmon? Without you… I can't…"_

_"But I'm always with you Takatomon. Remember? I know that you'll find a way, just like when you wished for a Blue Card. I know that it'll be tough, but you have to fight again. And remember, no matter what happens, I'll always be your friend…"_

_Takato's face set itself in resolve as the first flames of forgotten courage began to rekindle in his heart. Guilmon smiled as he sensed those fires begin to awaken once more._

_"You're right Guilmon. I've been too much of a coward already and I'm so sorry. I've forgotten everything that I've learned and experienced as a Tamer. I don't know what I'm going to do, but I'm going to do something. If you're willing to give me another chance…"_

_Things began to alter around them, as though the world was speeding up. For some reason, Takato was struck by a sense of déjà vu, but he ignored it. This wasn't the time for that sort of thing._

_"… Then I have no choice but to take it! I… WE… will fight! One… last… time!"_

_"Takato!"_

* * *

_"Ahhh!!!"_

Takato fell out of Guardromon's arms, clutching his sides as pain erupted all over his body, as though someone had just hit him with a thousand razor sharp needles. Within seconds, he felt hands on him, touching him, comforting him. A soft voice reached his ears and he looked up to see a familiar worried face.

"Jeri…" Takato breathed quietly as the pain began to dull a bit. It was still there, but at least he could stand it now.

"Nice to see that you remembered us Chumley," spoke up another voice from behind Jeri as she smiled down at him. "I tell ya, Guardromon. We get no recognition around here."

"Hardly befitting a duo such as us is it… uh… _dude?"_

"Guardromon… you're incomprehensible bud."

_Kazu… Guardromon…_

"Uh… hey guys. What's going on?"

"Sheesh, do we have to explain everything again?"

"Kazu!" Scolded Jeri as she fixed the visor-wearing boy with a withering glare before turning back to Takato.

"Kazu told me that you passed out shortly before that other Guilmon digivolved to his Ultimate form, and that he and Guardromon were trying to get you to safety while Rika and Henry handled him. They're doing what they can to defeat him and not destroy him but…"

Jeri bit her lower lip, not sure how to finish, but as memories began to rush back in on Takato he quickly got the idea. Struggling to get to his feet, Takato brought out his digivice. Jeri raised an eyebrow and grabbed hold of his shoulders.

"Takato? What are you doing?"

"What I should be doing, Jeri," said Takato firmly. "I'm going to help my friends. I can't let them face this alone."

"But… Takato…"

"Yeah, Takato," said Kazu. "Not that I'm not glad to see you want to help us out or anything, but without Guilmon there's really not a whole lot that you can do."

"Look," said Takato as he winced, feeling some pain through the link that he now shared with BlackWarGrowlmon. He could feel… _everything_ that he felt. All the pain, the rage… and something else. Something that was _familiar_ to him for some reason, though he couldn't quite put his finger on it. All he knew was that he had to put a stop to it. Somehow. "I've got to do something, and whether you choose to admit it or not, that BlackGuilmon _is_ my partner. Because I created him. If there's a chance that I can do something that can stop him from fighting, or at least stall him, then I've got to take it. I know that it's dangerous but this is the only way that I can do this."

Takato looked from Kazu to Guardromon, and then finally settled his gaze on Jeri. His face softened as his eyes met hers.

_"Please,"_ Takato pleaded. "I _have_ to do this…"

Jeri looked into Takato's eyes, seeing the strength of his resolve in his crimson irises before smiling weakly. She recognized his determination. The determination that had helped him get through every battle that he had been in, from his first encounter with Rika right up to his last battle with Lucemon, honestly grateful to see it back again, and also recognizing its rebirth from her own experiences from her time of imprisonment in D-Reaper. She knew how important this was to him, even though she was going to worry about him. She couldn't take this chance away from him to be what he had been, one last time.

Jeri nodded at the boy, and as though a great weight had just been relieved from his shoulders, Takato's body became relaxed. Nodding back, Takato rushed back off into the depths of the park, determined to do what he could for his friends. Kazu made as if to pursue, but Jeri stopped him with a raised hand.

"Jeri! You're just going to let him go off like that? He's going to get…"

"No, he's not!" Said Jeri firmly, her eyes narrowing at the boy. "We have to have faith in him, just like we've always had in the past. He can do this. I _know_ he can."

Jeri turned her face to watch Takato disappear into the park.

_Good luck, Takato…_

* * *

Sakuyamon and MegaGargomon fell back as the attack struck them, but fortunately Sakuyamon had been able to raise a shield to protect them in time. Unable to accept such an easy block, BlackWarGrowlmon fired repeatedly upon the shield, growling and roaring with greater intensity with each successive blast as he continued to hammer away. Through it all, the Hazard symbol continued to pulsate, as though it were struggling with something that was contained within the armor that it was emblazoned upon; something that wanted _out._

_"Atomic Blaster!"_

Sakuyamon grunted at that last shot. Something was _very_ wrong here. For some reason BlackWarGrowlmon's attacks were getting stronger, not weaker. In spite of all the damage that he had taken so far from both her attacks and MegaGargomon the dark virus was showing no signs of weakening. And to make it even worse, the Hazard symbol that was on BlackWarGrowlmon's armor plating was glowing, and had been glowing for some time now, ever since she had made her first attack on BlackWarGrowlmon. She remembered the last time that something like that had occurred, back in the digital world right after Leomon had been deleted by Beelzemon and Takato, drowning himself in rage and anger of such intensity he had forced WarGrowlmon to digivolve to his corrupted Mega form and had nearly destroyed the digital world and them along with it. She remembered Henry saying something about the symbol on his chest being a Hazard sign and she tried to remember what that meant, what the show and cards had to say about it, but with the chaos of battle and the strain from having to keep her shield up against an increasing barrage of attacks, she couldn't yet remember anything about it.

Another blast from BlackWarGrowlmon slammed into Sakuyamon's _Crystal Sphere_ , and within her data bubble Rika winced. This was starting to turn into a losing battle. They _had_ to mount an offensive…!

As if sensing her thoughts, MegaGargomon stepped out from behind the protective barrier and rushed BlackWarGrowlmon, drawing one gigantic fist back to deliver yet another earth crushing blow while the dark virus digimon was busy recharging his cannons. BlackWarGrowlmon roared angrily, and the Hazard symbol flashed once more as flames began to crawl up his body, enveloping him in a crackling, blood red light.

* * *

Takato nearly fell to his knees again as once again he felt as though something was being drained out of him. The temperature in his body began to plummet rapidly, but he gritted his teeth and pushed back upwards, struggling to reach the battle sight. He _had_ to get there before it was too late! Before…

Takato finally reached the area where his friends had been fighting, and his mouth dropped open in surprise as he saw MegaGargomon rushing what looked like a pillar of fire. But there was something more. Within the fire was a familiar form, one that brought back memories from not only his time in the digital world, but also that of a nightmare he had had from when he had rescanned his drawing of Guilmon. The figure that the flames hid was tall, and though it was obscured by the flames that surrounded it he could make out a serpentine body with arms with blades attached to its forearms, a dragon like head and what looked like great wings.

With a feeling of dread, Takato knew what that creature was without even having to guess. He had seen it in action once before, had seen his best friend digivolve into this beast. Had in fact, created it himself. Looking at it, and knowing full well what was coming, Takato could easily understand why Lucemon wanted it destroyed so badly. The digimon that was about to emerge into the real world was far too devastating to allow too exist. He had to stop it before it was too late!

But the question remained. How?

Without even realizing it, the answer came to Takato, and tightening his hold on his gold trimmed D-Arc, Takato raised it to face the tower of flames, and the screen began to light up. With determination in his heart, Takato gave voice to the words that he hoped would save his friends, and the world along with them.

_"Biomerge activate!"_

And then there was light.


	34. Coming Full Circle

Impmon stood at the window of his Tamers home, looking outside with a distant, almost forlorn look on his face. After a few seconds he turned away and grimaced, raising one red-gloved hand and rubbing his right shoulder gingerly. The injuries that he had suffered yesterday from Lucemon's breaking down the data of his Mega form still bothered him, but at least they had dulled down a bit since he had gotten home. Takahiro and Mie had offered him a place to stay for the night in return for his protecting Takahiro, or at least until he felt well enough to travel on his own. He was sorely tempted to, but he hadn't wanted to worry his two Tamers, Ai and Mako with his absence. Of course, his coming back, late at night, looking bruised and battered hadn't helped things, at least when they got a good look at him the following morning (having been sound asleep by the time he had returned. No surprise there since it _had_ been well past their bedtime). They had fussed over him a great deal, almost enough to annoy him but… well, the thing was he couldn't stay annoyed with his partners just for being worried. Why should he? He… _cared_ about them. A lot more than he admitted sometimes and everyone knew it…

"Impmon?" Called out a small, childish voice off to his right.

_Speak of the devil,_ thought the diminutive digimon as he looked up and saw his two Tamers standing in the doorway, looking at him worriedly.

"Hey, guys," said Impmon, smiling weakly as he took in his two friends and Tamers. They returned his smile, though their eyes shone with worry.

"Are you still thinking about your friend?" Asked Mako as the twins approached Impmon. With a slight frown, Impmon hopped down from his spot on the window and looked at the children, smiling faintly as he took them in. Had they grown since he had last seen them? Probably not, but then again, humans were a rather chaotic bunch. They could be one way and then, before you knew it they were something else entirely. Impmon briefly wondered how much time was left before they would tower over his Rookie form the way that the older Tamers did. Before too long he would be teaching Mako how to drive motorcycles, or scaring off boys trying to hook up with Ai with his Beelzemon form. Impmon grinned inwardly. He rather looked forward to that last part, but for now he was simply content with the way things were, while his partners still had a little of their innocence left. Now if only a certain Pineapple Head was still alive then everything would be fine.

"Impmon?" Asked Ai, snapping Impmon out of his daze.

"Huh? Oh. Sorry guys. Yeah… I guess that I am still thinking about Takato."

Impmon lowered his eyes, remembering their fight in the digital world, when Takato and Guilmon had merged into Gallantmon shortly after he, as Beelzemon, had destroyed Leomon and defeated Megidramon in a one on one fight (aided by a power boost from one Deva and two Ultimates no less). It was… _difficult_ for him to accept that he had been responsible for everything that had happened since then. Jeri's fall into depression after what he had done to Leomon, which resulted in the D-Reaper program mutating and evolving a warped opinion of humanity through Jeri's negative emotions, and now Takato and Guilmon…

_Those two deserved better than what Lucemon did to them,_ thought Impmon as he looked down at the floor.

He wished that he could say that he was sorry; that he could bring Guilmon back and make everything what it was again. No, that he had made better choices, and not let his pride get to him the way that it had after he had gotten pummeled by that purple mule face, Indramon. He sometimes wondered what made him react like that. His being laughed at? Yes, it had stung. It reminded him of all the things that he had left behind, of all the things that he had been unable to do and had refused himself. And now, once again, he was having to deal with the fallout of his actions on that fateful day that Leomon was destroyed and Megidramon was created.

"I've just got a lot on my mind guys," said Impmon turning away from his partners. "I've never told you guys this, but when we weren't together I did a lot of bad things. Things that I'm not real proud of and because of them I… I can't help but feel responsible for what happened to Dino-boy."

The twins looked at each other with confused looks before looking back at Impmon.

"What are you trying to say, Impmon?" Asked Mako. "It sounds like you blame yourself for what happened."

In many ways, Impmon did blame himself, but Takato… he knew Takato wouldn't accept that. The events surrounding Guilmon's death may have been indirectly caused by his own actions, but he knew that Takato would put it up as a result of circumstance.

"I do…" said Impmon with some tears brimming in his eyes as he folded his arms. "But… it's really all a matter of interpretation."

The twins again looked at each other, confused. They were too young to fully understand the emotions that Impmon was feeling, and of course they didn't know what their errant partner had been doing when they were separated (and truth be told, they didn't care. All that mattered now was that they were together and Impmon fought alongside the good guys). With a small smile on her face, Ai walked up to Impmon and pulled him into a hug, causing the impish digimon to blush slightly at the treatment.

"Impmon," said Ai softly with wisdom in her voice that seemed to go beyond her years. Something that Impmon occasionally wondered about and Mako had remarked on at least once since they had reunited. A second later Mako joined the pair in their embrace, and Impmon, having quickly gotten over his embarrassment at the display of affection that was being brought on him easily returned the hugs, grateful that he had two Tamers like these them, but the knowledge that Takato and Guilmon were parted along with Jeri and Leomon hung heavily with him. So much suffering going on with his friends, and he was to blame for it. He could almost wish that Lucemon had taken him instead of Guilmon, but he knew that there was nothing that he could do to change what had happened and feeling sorry for himself wasn't going to bring back Guilmon. All he could do was continue to do good by the Tamers.

Speaking of which, didn't Takato say something about how the others were going on a hunt for _BlackGuilmon_ because Hypnos needed him for some vague, unexplained reason? Yeah… they did didn't they? They might need help too. Impmon was just about to mentally berate himself for not thinking about helping the Tamers earlier when suddenly a tremor shook the floor and the sound of the twins purple trimmed digivice began to give an alarm.

"Huh?" Cried Impmon as the three of them separated. Taking out the D-Arc from his pocket, Mako held it out for all of them to see. Impmon snorted in confusion as he peered closer. He couldn't make heads or tales of what the stupid thing was trying to say! Well, if a digimon was wrecking havoc somewhere, he doubted that he needed it to tell him where.

"Impmon?" Asked the twins as the dimunitive little digimon began to run towards the window that he had just been looking out of, struggling to open it.

"Yeah, what? I've got business to attend to!"

Impmon looked over his shoulder, and his face softened. Quickly hopping down, Impmon ran back over to his Tamers.

"Look. I'm sorry, guys, but you know that you can't come with me. You're… you're still too young for this sort of thing. And… I don't want to see you get hurt either. I know that I can't keep you two out of this forever but I can't bear to lose either of you just when we're starting to get to know each other."

This last bit came out a little bit weakly, and Impmon scolded himself for the way his voice quivered at the end. He always tried to keep up a tough appearance, especially around the regular Tamers but when it came to Ai and Mako he always had a soft spot for them.

"We understand," said Ai, smiling softly at her and her brother's partner, her eyes showing nothing but understanding in them, and once again Impmon was struck by the amount of maturity that she had. "Just be careful out there, okay?"

Impmon gave his partner's a confident smile.

"Be sure to kick the bad guys butt for us!" Exclaimed Mako as he threw his arms up into the air joyfully.

* * *

Within seconds Impmon was racing away from his Tamer's home, his tiny, clawed feet pounding against the pavement of the road for all they were worth. Impmon was struck by a sense of familiarity all of a sudden, and he remembered the last time he had gone out to a fight, battered and bruised, but still willing to give it everything he was worth in spite of his injuries and the fact that he had thought he was outclassed. The only thing that was missing really was the toy gun that Mako had given him. It had been destroyed in the battle against D-Reaper, but even though he no longer had it, it had remained with him, and its memory continued to help him in battle, giving him the power that he needed to fight for his friends, his Tamers, and to protect everything that he cared about. Like he should have from the beginning…

A steel-toed motorcycle boot slammed down onto the pavement and it was quickly followed up by another as Impmon made his transformation to his Mega form of Beelzemon, but the transformation didn't end there. Grunting slightly in pain, great black wings tore their way out of the Demon Lord's back and his three eyes, once a blood red color had now changed to become a calm, cool green. He didn't yet summon his massive arm cannon, _Death Slinger_. It could wait until he knew a little bit more about the situation that he was about to get himself into.

With a cry, Beelzemon pushed off the ground and flapped his dark feathered wings. Within seconds the former Demon Lord was airborne and flying towards the source of trouble.

Heading towards Shinjuku Park…

* * *

Yamaki cursed under his breath as he saw, emblazoned on the screen of every computer in the control room a glowing red Hazard symbol. He had seen this happen before, back when the Tamers had been in the digital world. An abnormally powerful digimon had suddenly emerged, and somehow its very presence was causing the very fabric of the digital world to become erratic, unstable, and threaten to collapse at any moment if that digimon continued to exist, thereby endangering the lives of the Tamers. At another point he wouldn't have cared as much, as it would have meant that the _digimon problem_ , as he had seen it as at the time, would have been solved, but there were the children to think of. He had felt helpless to do anything then, but he had been confident that the Tamers would be able to pull out of it as they had shown themselves capable of doing on multiple occasions in the past when engaged against the Devas.

He hadn't understood fully what had been going on at the time, but now that he did, he felt conflicted. Based on what he remembered the Tamers telling him, this _Hazard_ symbol had occurred because of Takato's partner, Guilmon, when he had digivolved into a monstrous digimon known as Megidramon in a fierce battle against Beelzemon. Beelzemon had managed to defeat Megidramon before he could cause a widespread network meltdown and the problem seemed to have been settled for good at the time.

But now it appeared as though Megidramon was about to make an appearance in the real world thanks to the newer, darker version of Guilmon that Takato had rather irresponsibly brought into existence.

_I have no other choice. Given the option between bringing in that new Guilmon alive and protecting the real world, the real world holds the greater priority. That Megidramon is a ticking time bomb!_

"Rielly," said Yamaki in a hard voice. "Prepare to launch the Argus program on my command! We've got to do everything in our power to stop that digimon from appearing in the real world!"

"On it sir," replied the red haired chief of operations as she furiously typed away on her computer council, relaying her superiors commands as she did so. "Argus program is ready…"

"Hold on!" Cried Tally, Rielly's partner in system operations. "The readings are tapering off! The data fluctuations are decreasing! I think we're in the clear!"

Rielly analyzed Tally's findings.

"Confirmed. Data disruptions are falling to within safety levels. An anomaly has infiltrated the Wild One's data. But… how?"

_How indeed?_ Wondered Yamaki as he flicked his lighter open and then closed. _Whatever it was that had just happened, it means that the Tamers are going to be able to handle it without any interference. But…_

"Keep the Argus program locked on the anomaly for now," said Yamaki as he raised his lighter and flicked it open once more. "And run a detailed analysis on the Wild One. Tally, activate the satellite system and see if you can't get in touch with one of the Tamers. I want to know _exactly_ what's going on down there."

"Yes sir!"

* * *

Sakuyamon had lowered her shield the second that the flames rose up and surrounded BlackWarGrowlmon and she rushed forward to help MegaGargomon. They had both seen this happen before, when Takato, in all his anger and rage at Beelzemon and his refusal to give up despite facing an obviously superior opponent, had forced WarGrowlmon to digivolve. They both knew full well what was coming, and unless they did something to stop BlackWarGrowlmon's digivolving things were going to go from bad to worse. The heat that was baking off of BlackWarGrowlmon's form was tremendous, and was rising steadily with each passing second, making the shaman Mega wonder if they were going to be able to get close at all to do what they had to do to put an end to this battle.

In her azure data sphere Rika wondered how this was affecting Takato. She had seen what had happened when BlackGrowlmon had digivolved to Ultimate, and it looked like the process had nearly killed him. How much worse was it going to be for the former Gogglehead now that he was digivolving to Mega? Rika shook her head. No… she couldn't afford to be distracted by her worries right now. Take out Megidramon first, worry about everything else later…

Off to her left, down near the park's tree line, a light suddenly burst into existence like a newly born star, shooting out towards the pillar of flames where it connected, causing an even greater light to shine forth from within the fiery depths and causing both Mega's to be brought up short from its intensity.

_Wha…?_ Thought Sakuyamon, bewildered. _What's going on…?_

As if in answer, a voice reached the shaman's ears, calling out a battle cry that sounded strangely familiar to the girl and digimon who's combined forms made up the Mega level digimon known as Sakuyamon, but sadly it wasn't easily discernable, as she was quite a distance up in the air and the voice was a ways off. Brushing it off and focusing on the situation in front of her, Sakuyamon ignored what she had heard, not even fully sure if it had even been there to begin with.

Had they taken a moment to think about it, Renamon and Rika would have recognized the shout as being very similar to the cry that had they, Henry, Terriermon, Takato, and Guilmon had given voice to in all the times that they had biomerged to their Mega forms.

* * *

Henry halted in his race towards the tower of fire, raising one massive arm to shield his eyes from the intensity of the light that was now pouring from the burning cocoon. He couldn't believe it! BlackWarGrowlmon was digivolving again! Things had been difficult enough just having to try and combat the dark virus when he was just an Ultimate and trying not to hurt it too badly for fear of hurting Takato along with it, something that had been growing increasingly difficult as BlackWarGrowlmon's strength did not lessen from the barrage of attacks that he was getting from not one but _two_ Megas at once. Instead, he only got stronger, and now that he was digivolving…

From within his emerald data sphere, Henry narrowed his eyes. He easily recognized the signs from the last time he had seen Megidramon come into existence, and he remembered all too well how close they had come to being destroyed as a result of that digimon's connection to the Digital Hazard. Not for the first time, Henry wished that the creators of the game revealed a bit more about that particular power in the digimon storyline. All that was known about it was that it had been a force that had been sealed away long ago, a power that was capable of destroying the entire digital world once it was unleashed, and if it was let loose here in the real world…

Henry made a decision. He had to do something to stop Megidramon from digivolving, and if he couldn't… well, he couldn't risk having a digimon that powerful causing havoc in the real world. No matter what the cost.

_I'm so sorry Takato…_

Dozens of hidden compartments suddenly opened up and took aim at the core of the shining light. It was just starting to die down… _shrinking_ in fact, but Henry didn't pay much attention to that. The situation called for only one response here, and he had to strike swiftly.

Behind him, Sakuyamon was leaning forward, as if trying to get a clear view of what was going on. MegaGargomon paused for only a second before cutting loose with his vast arsenal.

_"Mega Barrage!"_

* * *

_"Grand Cross!"_

Lucemon's attack surged closer to Justimon just as he was lifting up his transformed hand from out of the broken up trench that he had just torn in the ground. As fast as Justimon was, there was no way that he was going to be able to dodge this attack.

The cross-shaped facsimile of the Earth's solar system flew towards the Mega Vaccine, crossing the distance in the time space of a second, impacting where Justimon stood, sending dirt, rocks, and tree branches flying every which way as the angelic celestial digimon began to float back towards the ground, his eyes narrowing in concentration as he tried to confirm his opponents condition. Was he deleted? Unconscious? Or still conscious and able to fight? He rather doubted that it was this last one. Few digimon, even of the Mega level were able to withstand a direct attack such as that, even boosted by the Digital Hazard as that one was. Even Mega's had a difficult time holding up against that kind of firepower. Still, the very fact that the BlackGrowlmon had survived, and not only that but _digivolved_ , bothered him. It had only been at the Champion level and it had survived his attack! Not something that he had expected from such a weak digimon. Perhaps the Great Beast's own connection to the Digital Hazard had something to do with it… but then, these _Tamed_ digimon had the annoying habit of surprising him. He was starting to wonder just how much was beyond their capabilities, especially the Legendary Tamer. There was something about that one that seemed different from the others… but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. He had mentioned something during their fight about not having the same excuse as the first Great Beast and his Tamer for the creation of Megidramon, and that it would have made much more sense to come after him instead.

What did he mean by that? Had the Legendary Tamer created something far worse than Megidramon? Preposterous! He would have noticed if that were the case…!

Suddenly the air seemed to warp in front of Lucemon and the smoke that had been kicked up by the angel's attack blew away, revealing a triumphant Justimon, crimson scarf blowing in the wind, unruffled by what had just occurred and his armor not showing a single sign that anything had just happened to him.

With a light, almost companionable chuckle that held the supreme confidence that had made him so well respected in the digital world, the Legendary Tamer in the form of Justimon took a step forward before getting into a combat stance.

"Care to try that again?" Asked Justimon in the dual voices of Ryo Akiyama and Cyberdramon. Lucemon took an uncertain step backwards, wondering just how the Mega had survived _without a scratch!_ It was impossible! Not even the Great Beast had lived through that kind of power when he had first entered the human world!

And then, just when he was least expecting it, the Hazard symbol on his left hand suddenly burst into a crimson light, almost enveloping his entire body and searing it with an intense pain. Screaming, Lucemon nearly collapsed.

Justimon took a moment to take advantage of Lucemon's sudden distraction.

* * *

Ryo smiled in his data sphere as he watched the dust and smoke blow away from him, chuckling to himself, though to him it felt forced. At first he hadn't understood just how it was that he had survived that attack but after a moments thought he soon realized what had happened. He had pulled off similar maneuvers before during the fight against the D-Reaper, like that one time when he had been throwing down with one of its agents and it had tried to flatten him beneath its foot (the same time that he had _thanked_ Kazu and Guardromon for their _assistance_ in that battle), when he had just been thrown down hard and had little to no time to recover from the impact. As tough and durable as he was as Justimon, he had been hard pressed fighting that agent of the D-Reaper, and even his own natural talent for fighting and getting out of scrapes like that wasn't quite helping him.

Oh yes… he had an idea as to what had happened, and what force had been behind it, even though he knew that it should have been impossible.

_Milleniummon… even when you're not around I still can't get away from you,_ thought Ryo grimly, not sure if he liked what this most recent event entailed. There were times where he wondered if he or Cyberdramon were somehow tapping into the former digital god's data whenever they were merged and in a jam like this, or if Milleniummon was helping him out and he didn't realize it. Of course, if that was the case, then where was he during the rest of the D-Reaper crisis, or later with the army of Parasimon when they were being overwhelmed? So many questions and no answers for him. However, his present situation called for his complete and undivided attention so he had no time to ponder on this development. Lucemon looked like something had just set his left arm on fire. He didn't know what it was that was causing it but it sure made for a good enough distraction for him to end this and get to helping out the others.

Morphing his cybernetic arm into his Voltage Blade, Justimon charged forward, arm raised upwards with a blazing red energy sword held high. Leaping into the air, Justimon slashed downwards, aiming towards the angel's head as he struck. At the last second, Lucemon regained control of himself, and whatever energies were threatening to burn his left arm to data shards. With a primal roar Lucemon threw his blazing left arm upwards to intercept Justimon's attack.

There was a blinding burst of crimson energy, and yet another explosion rocked the park.

* * *

Takato opened his eyes slowly at first, taking in everything around him carefully as he did so.

_Where… where am I?_ Wondered Takato as he turned his head left and right, a trickle of fear making its way through his heart as he realized that all around him there was pitch-blackness. But there was something else behind that darkness as well, something that felt to him like boiling water. Not quite experiencing it as it felt more like he was watching it (even though he couldn't even _see_ anything in front of him outside of his own body and gray colored data sphere) and was about to stick his hand in it, and all that was left was to see what the consequences of such an action were. He could sense it, feel whatever it was that surrounded him getting closer, threatening to drown him with its presence… it was getting so hard to think all of a sudden. Almost like something was suffocating him and… it felt as though there was a _burning_ sensation, not only around him but coming from within as well.

It kind of reminded him of every time he had ever been angry and was struggling to control his temper, to keep it from getting loose.

Shaking his head, Takato tried to get a fix on what the last thing he had been doing before arriving here… wherever _here_ was that is. It was _so_ hard to concentrate! Slowly though, ever so slowly, memories came back to him. A tower of flames… his friends were going to fight a dangerous, dragon like digimon that was held within it… a memory of a nightmare flashed through his mind… Megidramon! His D-Arc. He had been raising it to the sky and he had called out…

_I… I think that I_ _biomerged_ _with BlackGuilmon,_ thought Takato, blinking his eyes. _But… if that's true then… where is he? When I merged with Guilmon I was able to talk to him and everything. Feel what he felt, move when he moved…_

_Who cares?_ Thought Takato fiercely. _Just concentrate on de-digivolving so that we can get BlackGuilmon down to Rookie and get him to Hypnos! The quicker the better… huh?_

The sound of missiles whistling in his direction alongside of what had to be a hundred machine guns going off all at once reached Takato from within his data sphere. Instinctively looking up, Takato's eyes widened as he saw dozens of green colored missiles adorned with yellow smiley faces on their tips all shooting towards him.

_That can't be good…_ thought Takato intelligently just before the missiles impacted with him.

As Takato screamed in pain from the unexpected attack, the darkness that had surrounded the boy suddenly rushed in, and all rational thought left Takato.

* * *

Seconds before the missiles impacted with the digimon that was just about to reveal its Mega form to the world, the light of digivolution that had been surrounding it died down, allowing Sakuyamon to get a good look at it. What she saw startled her.

_Wha…? Gallantmon? No… wait. The armor's the wrong color. Then what…?_

Rika didn't get a chance to finish her thought as the missiles struck home, exploding loudly and sending shards of metal and bursts of fire in all directions as off in the depths of the city, windows shattered from the noise of their explosions. Ignoring it for now, both Mega's focused on the cloud of smoke that billowed up from where the digimon had stood.

"Did we get him?" Asked MegaGargomon in Terriermon's childish, sarcastic voice.

Two, eerie red lights suddenly flared into existence from within the smoke cloud, and the form of a figure began to step forward, it's motions menacing. An aura of threat seemed to settle in the air, and both MegaGargomon and Sakuyamon tensed, already preparing to attack at the first sign of danger.

"That answer your question?" Asked Sakuyamon in the calm, yet oddly sardonic voice of Renamon, and MegaGargomon almost seemed to huff with false, childish irritation. A rather strange sound for a large mechanical war machine to make, especially at a time like this.

"A simple _yes_ or _no_ would have been nice," sulked MegaGargomon with Terriermon's voice.

"Terriermon…" began Henry.

"Would you two put a sock in it already?" Demanded Rika from within her blue data sphere. "We've still got tall, dark, and gruesome over there to deal with and… Oh!"

"Rika?" Asked Renamon worriedly. "Is everything all ri…?"

Renamon's question was cut short as she quickly caught sight of the digimon that was now exiting the smoke, revealing its form for all to see. For a wonder, even MegaGargomon, or rather Terriermon was rendered speechless by the figure that was walking slowly towards them.

Eyes glowing a deep crimson behind a black colored metal facemask and a blue visor shaped like a dragon's face, a tall, dark colored knight strode towards the two Megas, blue colored cape flowing behind him as it carried a dark colored shield and a black lance and azure trim at the base. Emblazoned on its chest armor was the familiar image of the Digital Hazard that the two biomerged Mega's had come to know so well, and the overall appearance, design of the armor… if it weren't for the difference in color the two Mega digimon would have sworn that the knight making its way towards them was…

_"Gallantmon?"_ Asked Henry incredulously, unable to believe that he was seeing what was in front of him. Of all the things that he had been expecting this certainly had not been one of them! He was prepared to throw down with Megidramon, not some dark version of his friend's biomerged Mega form.

_"Okay,"_ said Terriermon. _"Would someone_ please _tell me what just happened here?"_

"You mean other then the fact that a dark version of Gallantmon is coming towards us?" Asked Sakuyamon in the dual voices of Rika and Renamon.

_"Well, I was sort of hoping for a less obvious observation but I guess that'll do…"_

_I don't understand this,_ thought Henry from within his data sphere. _I thought that he was digivolving to Megidramon. Why did he take this form? Never mind. We have to focus on taking him down, Megidramon, DarkGallantmon, or whatever it is that he's calling himself right now! Whatever form he takes, as long as he's at a level above Rookie he's got to be beaten! We can't let him wreck any more havoc in the city!_

_Still… if he's taken this form instead of Megidramon… I wonder if that means he'll be more rational. Maybe we can talk rather than fight. 'Course, that may be a bit difficult to do since Terriermon and I just took a shot at him. Well, no harm in trying right?_

MegaGargomon raised one arm and got ready to speak, with every intention of opening up diplomatic accord with the dark Viral knight.

He didn't get a chance to get a word in edge wise before the dark colored Gallantmon suddenly rushed him, and with a speed that almost defied imagination leapt up towards his face, shield charging with a dark, blue energy that made Henry think of the depths of the ocean and of lightning.

_"Judecca Prison!"_ Boomed the dark knight in a strange, double voice a split second before he discharged the energy in his shield at MegaGargomon's face at point blank range.

_"Aw nuts…"_ Was all that Terriermon had time to say right before blinding pain erupted in their combined form, and their sense of equilibrium suddenly went awry.

* * *

"MegaGargomon!" Cried out Sakuyamon as the emerald armord Mega began to sail backwards, gravity taking its toll on his massive form. Reacting on pure instinct, Sakuyamon lashed out with her vajra staff, sending out four fox spirits of fire, water, wind, and lightning to pursue the dark Gallantmon as he began to fall towards the ground. Slashing out with his black colored lance, _Gallantmon_ tore at the fox spirits, trying to destroy them before they could make contact with his body, only to no avail. The fox spirits slashed and tore at him, though their attacks were almost equally as useless as the knights attempt to destroy them. His armor, being composed of viral data protected him with ease, though sparks flashed whenever they struck.

With a growl of irritation, Sakuyamon rushed forward, slashing at the dark Mega level knight with her staff, sending out waves of violet energy as she did so but _Gallantmon_ simply retreated backwards, raising his shield so as to guard himself from the relentless onslaught from the Data type shaman. Even though Sakuyamon had a type disadvantage that did not mean that her attacks were ineffective against him, as she herself was quite powerful in her own right.

_"He's just going to keep on defending himself while we wear ourselves down with our attacks,"_ said Rika to Renamon from within her data sphere. _"We've got to draw him out! Make him drop his defenses for just a second!"_

_"I agree Rika,"_ said Renamon, and with that the shaman Mega leapt back into the air, easing up on their attacks and waited. Their patience was rewarded when _Gallantmon_ peered out from behind his large shield to scope out the situation before raising his lance and taking aim at Sakuyamon.

_Gotcha,_ thought Rika, smirking from within her sphere of data.

_"Spirit Strike!"_ Cried out Sakuyamon as she once again sent her four fox spirits straight at _Gallantmon,_ this time not with the order to attack but to distract and entangle, giving her the perfect opportunity to try another, more direct approach.

_Gallantmon's_ eyes widened in surprise as the fox spirits pulled at his arms and legs, forcing his shield to lower along with his lance as Sakuyamon flew towards him, one arm pulled back. A second later, the shaman digimon delivered an earth-shaking punch to _Gallantmon's_ face, sending him flying backwards and crashing to the ground.

Sakuyamon grimaced as she flexed the hand that she had decked him with.

_"Oh yeah…_ that _was smart…"_ Muttered Rika.

_"But effective,"_ said Renamon.

_"Maybe,"_ said Rika as she watched the dark knight begin to get back to his feet. _"But unless Henry gets back into the game and I mean_ _ **fast**_ _I think that we're going to be in for one heck of a fight. This guy's just too heavily armored for non-lethal attacks to get through to him. We may have to up our game a little if we're going to have any affect on him, and that might destroy him. If only we knew what kind of affect this was having on Takato then I could make a better decision…"_

Suddenly a voice piped in from within the girl's data sphere.

_"Rika… come in… kkkhhh… This is Yamaki… do you read?"_

_"Yamaki? What are you…?"_

Distracted by the unexpected communication, Rika never noticed _Gallantmon_ charging towards her.

* * *

Anger. Rage. Darkness. That was all that he knew. All that he _ever_ seemed to know in fact. His own name, his identity were long forgotten now once the battle had started, and now all he could do was react, feeling a fire burning from within his heart, feeding him strength as he fought. He had just taken down the giant war machine when the shaman digimon attacked him, surprisingly putting up a good fight despite being at a type disadvantage. But there was something else. As soon as he saw the shaman flying towards him, ready to do battle with him memories came unbidden to his mind. Places, a parking garage, a park path… in each of them there was a red haired girl and a yellow furred fox wearing purple gloves, threatening him. No… threatening his _partner_. Trying to destroy him. His best friend, saying how digimon were nothing more than data, and that he and his friend were nothing more than mere _stepping stones_ to her. A cold anger awoke in the dark knights heart, feeding the fires that already burned within him, giving him even greater strength as he and the shaman fought, both striving for victory over the other.

Was she still trying to delete him? Still trying to load his data? Was that why they were fighting here and now? Something in him told the dark knight that this digimon _were_ that same girl and fox that he remembered, only merged. Just like… he was? It was so hard to think. All he knew was the rage, the anger of it all. He couldn't afford to think right now. He had only one priority. To defeat his enemies as they came to him. Anything else would come after he had claimed victory over their broken bodies. Anyone who threatened him deserved no less. No mercy. No forgiveness…

With a cry of never ending rage from the deepest depths of his soul, Takato… _ChaosGallantmon_ , noticed that the Sakuyamon seemed to be distracted by something. Taking his chance, the dark knight charged forward, pulling his lance back as he prepared to strike down his foe.

* * *

_"Rika!"_ Shouted Renamon, startling the red haired girl out of her conversation with the head of Hypnos. Reacting quickly, Sakuyamon brought up her staff and managed to deflect the lance to the side, the weapon glancing off her left hip as it went by her body. Not to be deterred, _Gallantmon_ brought up his shield and bashed her with it, sending her crashing down to the ground. Ignoring Yamaki's exclamations and demands to explain what was going on, Sakuyamon immediately began struggling to get back to her feet, but the attempt didn't last long as she was soon looking down at point of a blackened lance, aimed right at her face. Pulling backwards once more, _Gallantmon_ gave a loud battle cry, and within her data sphere Rika's eyes widened as she realized that there was duality in the dark knight's voice.

_Gogglehead…?_

_"Double Impact!"_

Suddenly two bullets slammed into _Gallantmon's_ lance, throwing its aim off and causing it to slam into the ground behind Sakuyamon, missing her head by inches. Reacting instantly, Sakuyamon gave a powerful kick in _Gallantmon's_ midsection, pushing him away from her and then sweeping her legs outward and tripping the dark knight up, once more sending him back to the ground as she rolled away from him. The dark Gallantmon quickly tried to regain his posture, but a dark form dressed in leather, bearing a smoking Berenjena shotgun, and flying on black, birdlike wings crashed into him, kicking him backwards before landing next to Sakuyamon.

"You okay?" Asked Beelzemon as he looked worriedly at the shaman digimon. Sakuyamon nodded gratefully before settling her gaze on the dark knight digimon as he got back to his feet.

"Uh… yeah. Thanks Beelzemon."

"Don't mention it. Since I'm here why don't you take five and try to wake up that walking, ugly green, dump truck over there while I handle this bum."

Sakuyamon frowned at the ex Demon Lord, but agreed. She could still hear Yamaki shouting frantically in the background and if she didn't do something to shut him up she was going to go crazy.

"Fine. But you should probably know something… I'm not entirely sure about this…" _especially since I could have sworn that I left him with Kazu and Guardromon before I took off._ Rika thought with a hint of anger towards the visor-wearing child but she forced the emotion down. She was going to deal with Kazu later. "…But I think Takato's merged with BlackGuilmon, making this bizarre dark knight wannabe."

"Huh? You sure about that? Maybe he just digivolved this way because it made for a dramatic appearance. Even I gotta admit that he looks pretty good. Love the color scheme…"

Beelzemon glanced over at Sakuyamon, noticing her glaring at him. Well, as much as he could notice given that her fox mask took up half her face, but the thin line that she had set her mouth in was certainly a good enough clue. Beelzemon resisted the urge to chuckle.

"All right, all right," said Beelzemon as he holstered his shotgun. "I'll go easy on him, but don't expect me to pull off any miracles here."

"Just keep him busy, or at least wear him down so that he de-digivolves. _Got it?"_

"Yeah, yeah," muttered Beelzemon as he dove forward, one fist pulled back to deliver a punch while he lowered his other hand. _Gallantmon_ upon seeing him raised his lance and aimed it at the oncoming Demon Lord, and like him also charged forward. Beelzemon frowned.

_This doesn't look like it's going to be easy,_ the Demon Lord thought as his feet pounded on the ground.

* * *

Sakuyamon watched the two combatants for a moment before directing her attention inwards. With a sigh, Sakuyamon flew over to MegaGargomon to check up on his condition.

"Did you get all that Yamaki?" Sakuyamon asked in Rika's voice. From within her data sphere, the girl looked up at a view screen showing her Yamaki as he grimly nodded at her.

"Yes. We've already directed the satellite to focus on the new Gallantmon, and it looks like your suspicion is right. Takato definitely _is_ in there, and there's a high probability that he doesn't even realize what he's doing."

"Okay… how is that possible? I thought that when you merged with your digimon you knew what was going on around you and that both human and digimon worked together…"

Rika's voice trailed off at the end of that sentence and cursed herself for not realizing it sooner.

_Duh. If both partner's are supposed to be merged to the point where they feel everything and are almost of one mind, then Takato's probably experiencing whatever BlackGuilmon's feeling, which last I checked was his instinct to fight, and since he was fighting me and Henry already…_

As if sensing the girl's thoughts Yamaki nodded.

"I believe that Takato knew that _BlackGuilmon_ was trying to digivolve to Megidramon, and seeing as how they're linked there's no reason to disbelieve that theory, and felt that by biomerging he could redirect its evolution path to a form that would be less threatening."

Rika _hmmphed._

"Not a bad idea if you can control the form that you're in."

_"Well we_ were _attacking him,"_ said Renamon. _"And if his emotions were working in tandem then it's quite possible that the BlackGuilmon's instincts overrode his own…"_

"We don't know enough about what's going on with Takato inside that digimon," said Yamaki. "But we need to try and get him to de-digivolve. His merging with BlackGuilmon has made the situation even more dangerous because now we can't just delete him in case he continues to run wild without destroying Takato either."

"We'll do what we can Yamaki," groaned Henry suddenly as MegaGargomon sat up, surprising both Sakuyamon and the Head of Hypnos.

"Henry!" Called out Sakuyamon worriedly while inspecting the damage that MegaGargomon's face had suffered from _Gallantmon's_ close range attack. "You okay?"

From within his data sphere, Henry grimaced

"I've had better days. Terriermon's gone for a loop though…"

"Huh?" Shouted the familiar voice of the dog bunny, sounding startled as though he had just woken up. "What's going on? What happened? Who am I?"

Henry sighed.

"No one's buying that last one Terriermon…"

"If you say one word about Nurse Suzie…"

"This _really_ isn't the time," grumbled Henry as MegaGargomon got to his feet. "We've got to help Beelzemon…"

"Say no more," said Terriermon. "I'm more than willing to whoop that dark knight's butt and help out _Impmon_ after that cheap shot to the face…"

" _Without_ hurting Takato, who's _biomerged_ with that dark knight…"

"He's _what?!"_

Sakuyamon sighed in exasperation before taking off to help Beelzemon with MegaGargomon in tow, Terriermon still spouting questions over what he had just learned all the while.

"We'll get back to you Yamaki," said Rika from within her data sphere.

* * *

Beelzemon's left fist slammed into _Gallantmon's_ shield, causing the Demon Lord to mouth an expletive as he leapt into the air just in time to dodge the dark knight's lance Landing behind the _Gallantmon_ , Beelzemon turned and once again charged towards him, his right hand raised and aimed at the knight. Wasting no time, _Gallantmon_ did likewise, lance extended and ready to pierce his enemy.

_Gotcha,_ thought Beelzemon with a slight grin. Summoning his _Death Slinger_ cannon, Beelzemon bashed _Gallantmon's_ lance to the side as though the cannon were a lance as well, and opened up the jaw like apparatus at the barrel, aiming it right at the knight's face as energy began to build up.

"Trust me," Beelzemon said. "This is going to hurt me a lot more than it's going to hurt you."

He still wasn't at all sure about what Sakuyamon had said about Takato merging with the evil version of Pineapple Head, but knowing the Tamers as he did he knew that he couldn't take the chance that it wasn't the case. That of course did not preclude doing harm to this digimon (as his plan to shoot him in the face certainly drove that point home), but doing it without deleting the digimon was going to be difficult, which was why he was going to launch his attack at a lower power setting than he was normally accustomed to.

Gritting his teeth, Beelzemon pulled the trigger and let go…

_"Corona Blaster!"_

Only to have _Gallantmon_ knock the weapon upwards with his shield before slamming into his midsection.

_"Aaagh!"_ Screamed Beelzemon as he felt the wind go out of his lungs before the dark Gallantmon, now having most of the Demon Lord's weight resting on his shoulder plate, heaved upwards and tossed him into the air like a rag doll. Recovering quickly, Beelzemon flapped his dark wings and brought his cannon to bear on the knight and began firing away. The dark knight dodged and weaved through the blasts before taking aim with his lance, showing just how close to the original Gallantmon his attacks were.

_"Demon's Disaster!"_

Back and forth the two traded blasts, neither one quite getting the other until the Gallantmon got a lucky hit through, striking Beelzemon's cannon and short circuiting it. Dismissing the weapon, Beelzemon quickly drew his shotgun in order to continue the fight. As he did so, _Gallantmon_ leapt into the air directly in front of Beelzemon and slammed the base of his Lance down onto the Demon Lord's head, sending him spiraling to the ground and impacting it with tremendous force. His lance glowing and crackling with blue lightning, the dark knight descended towards Beelzemon, determined to deliver a deathblow that would end this battle.

* * *

From the moment that he had seen Beelzemon, a new rage filled the digimon known as ChaosGallantmon, and with it came another memory, this one showing the Demon Lord threatening him, threatening _all_ his friends, _everyone_ that he trusted, though the memory of their faces and identities were hidden from him by the darkness that surrounded him. It didn't matter. All he saw in his minds eye was what he needed to see. Beelzemon laughing at him and four others as they stood helpless before him outside of a great fortress, preparing to gun them all down. Beelzemon attemting to destroy one of his friends, only to be stopped by another, who was in turn destroyed for interfering and then downloaded. All the while… laughing. Not even caring about them or even remembering the bond that they had at one point shared. All he wanted… all he cared about was gaining power and they were just an obstacle keeping him from getting what he wanted. Why? How could he have been so _cold_ about it? He hadn't at all seemed sorry for what he did!

For some reason though, deep within the heart of the boy who made up the core of ChaosGallantmon, this felt wrong. But… it was so hard to think still. Rage continued to wash over his soul and burn within his heart. He had to put an end to it! He had too…!

_"Takato!"_ Shouted a voice, catching ChaosGallantmon's attention as he drew closer to his opponent. Somehow the sound of that name… that voice, awoke something in the dark knight's mind.

_Jeri?_ Thought ChaosGallantmon distractedly. Was that who was calling him? No. The voice was different, belonging to someone else, but still female nonetheless. But who…?

The world around him suddenly became awash in pink light, and a blast of energy knocked him to the side, sparing a dazed Beelzemon from instant death.

* * *

_"Amethyst Mandella!"_ Called out Sakuyamon as she slashed her staff in wide, arching circles, sending out rings of gold energy surging towards the dark knight, surrounding him and then shrinking until they were of appropriate size to trap the Virus Mega within their embrace and keep him from moving. A variation of their usual attack, as the rings were normally meant to crush the enemy, but due to their increasing experience with their Mega form, Rika and Renamon were able to manipulate the energy just enough to alter it so that it would act more as a way to imprison the knight rather then destroy as was the ring's original purpose.

Hands spread outwards, Sakura blossoms floating on the air, Sakuyamon strode calmly, confidently up to the dark knight, passing by Beelzemon with only a quick glance to make sure that he was all right before returning her focus on the fallen knight, who was now struggling against the rings.

* * *

A short ways off, MegaGargomon watched the scene with an edge of nerves tracing their way through the combined data both Tamer and digimon before they too took a step forward, to lend their support and whatever else to Sakuyamon and Takato as they needed it. Neither Terriermon nor Henry had a clue what exactly it was that Sakuyamon planned to do beyond just trapping _Gallantmon_ , mentioning only that she was going to _play it by ear_ and left it at that. To this, Henry and Terriermon shrugged as one, or rather as MegaGargomon. They had to get the _Gallantmon_ to de-digivolve, but how they were going to do that was the tricky part. From what Henry could recall de-digivolution occurred when a digimon either ran out of energy required to maintain their current form or consciously let go of that energy, a trick that they had managed to learn after many, many hours of making their digimon stand upside down until they devolved to a lower level. How Rika and Renamon intended to do that… Henry shook his head.

  _Sakuyamon, I really hope you know what you're doing…_

* * *

Sakuyamon stepped in front of ChaosGallantmon as he struggled to free himself from his bonds. His struggles were fruitless however. He felt… strangely tired. As though the fire that had been burning within him had left him without the strength necessary to keep it going, and then there was the name that had been called out to him right before he had been hit. Something about it… memories began to return to him, in greater number than before, many of them lacking the anger that had shrouded his mind for so long. There was… happiness. The darkness began to withdraw, and as it did so people, places, names began to slowly return to him.

 "Takato," spoke a soft voice. Looking up, ChaosGallantmon saw that Sakuyamon was now standing in front of him. Tall, proud, strong, and sometimes distant, but always more worried about her friends and family then she would let on. Another memory surfaced in ChaosGallantmon's mind. One where he and the others had gone after Rika and Ryo, descending into a canyon on the strands of the beard of a great, blue dragon… Azulongmon. And when Rika had biomerged for the first time…

_"Takato? Are you all right?"_

It had taken him a moment to realize that she had just asked him that, and that it wasn't just the memory speaking to him. In his dark data sphere, the boy who had now remembered himself as the person who that name belonged to opened his mouth to answer, and a name flowed out of his mouth as the red glow in the eyes of his outer appearance began to die down, revealing confused, golden eyes.

"R-Rika?"

Sakuyamon smiled warmly and nodded, the light of de-digivolution overtaking her a second later, revealing the two forms of Rika and Renamon.

"The one and only, Gogglehead," Rika said, not losing her smile, with only the faintest glimmer of tears in her eyes as she held ChaosGallantmon's gaze. A gust of wind blew at her hair, now freed from its ponytail.

* * *

"Rika?" Questioned MegaGargomon cautiously; uncertain as to what Rika was planning on doing with this maneuver. "Are you sure that this is a good idea?"

"Positive," said the fiery Tamer firmly. She had faced Takato as an enemy when they first met, and had been an associate and acquaintance afterwards, becoming friends during the course of their adventures together, and though their bond hadn't always been the strongest, it had developed a good enough foundation where they had learned to gradually trust each other, and built upon that foundation ever since the day that they became friends. Today she had faced him once again as an enemy and she had won the physical battle. Now, to win the next stage of the fight, the mental battle, she had to face him as his friend. As just plain, Rika Nonaka.

ChaosGallantmon and Rika looked at each other for what seemed like an eternity before Rika finally spoke determined to reach the goggle headed boy that she knew was inside. She wasn't at all sure what she was going to say at first, but as if in answer she had asked him about that time that they had all gone down into the tunnels to rescue Guilmon from that strange digital field, chuckling a little at how different things had been at the time. After a few moments, the dark knight nodded and looked down at the ground. Rika continued talking, bringing up memories such as during the D-Reaper crisis when the three of them had hold up at his bakery and made themselves bread so that they could have something to eat, and when Guilmon had sneezed into the bread dough. More memories, the battles against the Devas, the trip to the digital world, her birthday party…

Tears began to rain upon the ground from within ChaosGallantmon's helmet.

* * *

Henry was suddenly struck with the realization at what was going on, and could have kicked himself for not thinking about it earlier.

_"Leave it to Rika to realize it before you Henry,"_ chided Terriermon playfully. _"That's certainly a first, isn't it?"_

_"Terriermon…"_ groaned Henry, though he found it difficult to really fault Terriermon this time around.

_Of course. She's reminding Takato of everything that we did together, trying to bring Takato up to the surface so that he can regain control and reign in his emotions. I wonder if her experience as Sakuyamon has anything to do with this… I remember her saying once that ever since she first biomerged with Renamon she had a greater sympathy for life then she used to… or thought that she did._

_Either way,_ thought Henry, visibly impressed by Rika's solution to the situation. _Rika's just about saved the day here…_

Deciding that now would be a good time to join her, Henry took a step forward and began to focus inward, preparing to release his and Terriermon's hold on their Mega form.

And that was when something caught their eye.

_What the...?_

* * *

Takato felt himself relaxing within his data sphere, feeling tears brimming in his eyes and feeling no shame in shedding them. The darkness around him snarled at him, instincts shouting at him to destroy all those gathered around him but Takato ignored the darkness, now recognizing it for what it was. It wasn't BlackGuilmon. Not quite. In all technicality the presence that he felt with him in the form of ChaosGallantmon, that of BlackGuilmon, was a living digimon in its own right, but it was also a part of him. He had created it, unintentionally out of his own sadness. The sorrow that he was feeling over Guilmon's death, the anger at the unfairness of it all. BlackGuilmon _was_ him. All the negative emotions that he had ever felt in his life… it was all here, all around him and he had given it a physical body to romp around with and cause destruction with. He… he had even tried to kill his own friends, so blinded feelings of anger, enraged by every memory where he had felt that he had been helpless to do anything to protect his friends, from Guilmon on up.

There was no forgiveness for this he felt, and yet… looking at Rika… Beelzemon… Renamon… and MegaGargomon… he knew that that was all they had for him. Unconditional forgiveness, friendship, understanding, love… it was all there. He almost couldn't believe it, but there it was. As he felt a sense of relief flood through him that his friends were safe, and would be all right, he felt something release within him, and the presence of BlackGuilmon began to struggle suddenly, as though refusing to let go of his new power without a fight. Regardless… it was leaving anyway. He felt so… _tired_ right now… so tired…

A light began to blaze within him as the light of de-digivolution overtook him…

Suddenly a shout of defiance rang upon the air, and Takato lurched in his data sphere as pain wracked his body.

_"Grand Cross!"_

* * *


	35. Under the Same Sky

Something was different. A sign. A feeling. Confusion, remorse, exhaustion, and guilt. These were just some of the feelings that Lucemon had experienced upon that last contact with the Justimon that he had been fighting with. It had all been fleeting, as he stood there over the fallen Tamer and his partner Monodromon, and the angelic digimon hadn't once understood where these feelings had come from. They hadn't been there before, or at least not with the same amount of intensity as before, back when he had his talk with Noriko and then later with the girl's mother, Aiko. And with them was another feeling, even stranger yet and at first he couldn't really describe it, but that contact with Justimon at the end there… something about that digimon had brought him a feeling of _connection_. Of _oneness_ that he had only felt once before in the loving and caring arms of the three Celestial digimon, and of Ophanimon especially. Did it have something to do with the fact that his opponent was the merged form of a human and a digimon? Or was there something deeper to it? Something more?

He had already found that Justimon, like the Great Beast, contained some quality that made it unlike the other digimon and their Tamers. He was still amazed at how both had managed to survive his attacks, though with the Great Beast of the Hazard he at least had an idea that it was because of his connection with the Digital Hazard that he had drawn on, but the Justimon? What power did _he_ have that had enabled him to survive where most Mega's were destroyed outright? Well, it didn't help him this time. He, _they_ were beaten this time. They lay there, unconscious at his feet… or so it seemed. Given the amount of times that the humans and their digimon partners kept surprising him he wouldn't put it past them to have some sort of trick up their sleeve. Perhaps he should finish them off so that they would be unable to interfere later…

Lucemon frowned. No. All of those feelings that had emerged when he had made his last, desperate attack against Justimon swarmed in on him, and then there were the words of Aiko, also there to block him.

" _I know that I don't have any way to hold you to anything, or have a reason to ask this of you, and even though I'm certain that you'll go and do what ever you feel is necessary, and we can't do anything to stop you, but… I want you to promise me that none of the children or their digimon will be harmed. If you want to understand what love is… you will not harm them."_

Lucemon raised his left hand and gazed at it.

_What did she mean by understanding what love is?_

Once again Lucemon looked at the unmoving forms of the Legendary Tamer and his purple colored partner.

_Does their combining as one have anything to do with it? That they care and depend on each other so much that they'd join their strength? Is that the whole reason behind humans and digimon even becoming partners in the first place?_

As the question hung there in his mind, unanswered, a golden line of energy traced its way across the Hazard symbol emblazoned on his hand, bringing Lucemon out of his reverie, reminding him of his reasons for being here.

Destroy the Great Beast of the Hazard.

As if in response to the thought, the human child that lay upon the ground stirred, causing Lucemon to look at him again and wonder, just what was it about this child that made him so different from the others? And then of course there were his words as well…

" _I owe it to Takato though. He's my friend, and more than anyone else here I know what its like to have to face against something like what Megidramon was. The only difference being is that what happened with Takato and Guilmon was more of an accident and a result of anger and horror over the killing of a friend. I don't have that excuse. If nothing else, it would have made much more sense to come after me."_

Lucemon shook his head. There was nothing more to be gained here, and he wouldn't find any answers, or be able to complete his mission if all he did was just stand around and stare at the Legendary Tamer. The Great Beast was still out there, and from what he had felt earlier, and by the sounds of things, the monster had emerged into this world and…

 _But if that was true,_ a voice whispered in the back of his mind. _Why did the feeling taper off? Why has the Hazard's ire weakened? There should be more and yet… it's quieted…_

Lucemon once again shook his head, silencing the voice, immediately recognizing it as the doubt that had been plaguing him recently. He still had a job to do, and he was not going to let anyone or anything get in the way of doing it. He wouldn't harm the children… or at least he wouldn't destroy them as he had threatened to do in the past, but he couldn't let them stop him if they got in his way. Too much depended on the Great Beast's existence being purged from all level's of reality to give him pause.

" _You don't understand. There was a lot more that went on the day that Megidramon came into existence, and I'm the one who's at fault for that."_

Lucemon turned away from the Legendary Tamer, even as the memory of his encounter with Zhuqiaomon's former servant, the Demon Lord Beelzemon, came to him, another silent protester against his thoughts and mission. Why were these memories coming to him, and at a time like this?

The sounds of explosions caught Lucemon's attention, and with a light step and a flap of his wings, the angelic digimon leapt into the air, heading towards the source of the explosions.

* * *

"Kazu! Slow down!" Cried Jeri as she chased after the errant visor-wearing child and his overgrown mechanical partner as they raced through the park, oddly enough completely forgetting that the latter of the two had rocket engines designed to render such motion unnecessary, but then, that was Kazu and Guardromon for you.

"No way!" Shot back Kazu over his shoulder. "We've got to help Chumley! I don't care what's going on or what he or Rika said! Troubles coming to town with a capital 'T' and I can't let Takato go through that without me! I can't believe that you let him go off like that! You _know_ that he'll get creamed out there!"

"Kazu… we already discussed this," said Jeri, her voice filling with exasperation. It was true. They had immediately fallen into an argument as soon as Takato had left. Kazu was having difficulty in believing that the former Gogglehead was going to be able to do anything that would affect the outcome of the battle, especially since MegaGargomon and Sakuyamon were already on the case… but then, the battle _had_ been going on much longer then either of them would have expected for two Megas against a single Ultimate… an Ultimate that was at a level disadvantage and, against MegaGargomon a type disadvantage as well. Technically any Ultimate (or almost any Ultimate as Kazu knew full well that there were some digimon that were abnormally powerful on a lower level, though BlackWarGrowlmon certainly didn't fall into that category. That is, if his strength remained comparable to the original WarGrowlmon), would be street pizza by now, so perhaps Kazu had the right of it after all and there was some cause for concern. Even so, Guardromon had just been beaten rather badly and wasn't in much shape for a fight, and Jeri… she could sympathize with Kazu for wanting to do something, even though she no longer had Leomon by her side to help her. But even if Leomon was still with her, she couldn't help but feel that she and Kazu were about to intrude on something that was very personal for Takato, and that by doing so would make it appear that they didn't have any faith in him.

"I _know_ we already discussed this, Jeri," grumbled Kazu as an explosion resounded upon the air, kicking up a powerful breeze. Somewhere nearby they thought that they heard Beelzemon shouting _Double Impact,_ but with so much chaos going on they couldn't tell for sure. "And even though I can tell that this is supposed to be where Takato faces himself and everything… and don't give me that look, I may be stupid acting sometimes, but I do pay attention to these things…"

"At least you do now," said Jeri with a small smile on her face.

"I'm going to ignore that," joked Kazu. "Now where was I? Oh yeah… I can understand Takato wanting to do something on his own but he doesn't have to prove himself to us. More like _we've_ got to prove to him that we care and… uh…because we… um… hang on…"

Kazu paused in his stride and scratched the top of his head, a look of annoyance appearing on his face.

"Could have sworn that I was going somewhere with this…" the boy muttered to himself grouchily. Jeri drew up next to Kazu and Guardromon.

"Kazu… we can't just stop here… not while all this fighting is going on. Now look. Guardromon is hurt, and with what's going on out there I think that we're going to be more of a hinderance, as much as I hate to admit it… and I _do_ believe that Takato needs to do… this…"

Suddenly Jeri halted in her speech, and a look of great sadness overcame her face as she raised one hand to her chest, as though she felt some kind of inner turmoil going on within. Looking over to where the source of the fighting was located, she saw a dark colored, knight like figure that strangely resembled Gallantmon leaping into the air, aiming what looked like a black colored lance at a flying Beelzemon before bringing the weapon down on the ex Demon Lord's skull, sending him to the ground.

 _Takato…?_ The girl whispered in her mind, and then her face set itself in grim resolve. _Takato's in trouble… I don't know what's going on over there, but somehow I've got the feeling that Takato's in danger… probably more so then he's ever been in before. Why… why does it feel like I can sense his pain? Why…?_

Jeri's thoughts continued to ramble on, completely ignoring the fact that Kazu was waving his hands, trying to get her attention. A gust of wind blew through the park, and the massive bulk of MegaGargomon surged up to his feet, having apparently fallen in battle at some point, a dark, metallic burn covering his once spotless face. And then, before anything else could happen, a pink light suddenly lit up the world around the children, causing them all to blink in surprise. The sensation of pain that had been in Jeri's heart just a second ago began to die down a bit, replaced now with a feeling of exhaustion and a sadness that went bone deep. But there was something more floating upon the air now, joining the multitude of Sakura blossoms that inexplicably appeared in the air around them.

"Wha…?" Began Kazu, bewildered as he gaped around him, turning his head left and right, trying to find the source of what was going on. Jeri on the other hand, had a feeling as to what was going on, having recognized Sakuyamon's signature attack, and she let out a sigh of relief and contentment as she let herself become lost in the feeling that hovered in the air, lifting her heart.

Friendship. The feeling that she sensed was all the friendship and love that people could have for each other, shared through the memories of a common bond that had welded them all together since the first days that their adventures began.

 _Takato…_ thought Jeri as she closed her eyes and felt herself relax in the feeling that washed over her. _He's going to be all right…_

The sudden disappearance of that warm light suddenly put an end to Jeri's comfort.

* * *

Ryo Akiyama opened his eyes slowly and groaned as an incessantly dull ache ripped its way through his skull, pounding to fit a beat in his forehead. But at least it told him one thing; he was still alive. He didn't know what had happened to Lucemon, but if experience was any judge (and it almost always was), the angelic digimon had once again survived their latest tussle and had gone off to either lick his wounds again or finish the job that he had come here to do.

"Need a hand?"

Blinking, Ryo looked up and found his bespectacled friend, Kenta Kitagawa standing over him with one hand held out for him. Pleasantly surprised by the boy's arrival, Ryo smiled and took Kenta's hand, allowing himself to be pulled up to a sitting position before getting up the rest of the way on his own.

"Hey Kenta," said Ryo as he dusted himself off, looking around him to assure himself that his partner was all right before finding MarineAngemon by his side, tending to the purple reptile's injuries. Once again Ryo smiled before turning his attention to Kenta.

"So… any calls while I was out?"

Now it was Kenta's turn to blink, though it was more out of nerves and some excitement at having found Ryo, his idol, but for the most part he managed to hold back on that (something for which Ryo was immensely grateful for. Kazu probably wouldn't have been able to muster that much self-restraint) as he filled the Legendary Tamer in on the situation as he saw it.

"Uh … well, I was heading down to Hypnos to meet up with the others when all of a sudden I heard some explosions coming from within the park so I got here as quickly as I could…"

"Pihpihpuhpih!" Giggled MarineAngemon as he continued to administer healing hearts to Monodromon as the little Vaccine dinosaur sat up, rubbing the back of his head in pain. Kenta frowned.

"We would have gotten here sooner if you'd just carried me," Kenta complained, which only caused MarineAngemon to giggle once more before continuing with his work. Kenta sighed, but smiled nonetheless as he looked back at Ryo.

"Anyway, I saw MegaGargomon and Sakuyamon fighting what looked like a black colored WarGrowlmon as soon as we got into the park, and it looked like they were in trouble. I was just on my way to help them when I saw you and your partner lying there, knocked out so we had to stop and help."

"Heh. Thanks," said Ryo, nodding his head in appreciation. "Probably a good thing that you're here now. If MegaGargomon and Sakuyamon are having as much trouble as you say they are they're going to need a little help from your partner there," Ryo indicated MarineAngemon with a slight nod of his head. "And I'm pretty sure Lucemon's out there too just dying to join the party so…"

"Wait. You fought Lucemon?"

"Yeah, and I got beat by him. That digimon is a lot stronger then we give him credit for, so watch yourself around him…"

"If… if he beat you then what chance do we have against…?"

"Hey! Come on, Kenta! Don't lose faith now just because _I've_ had a set back. Just because I'm the Legendary Tamer doesn't mean that I'm invincible. Now come on. Lucemon or no Lucemon we've got to help out the others. What is it that Rika always says? _'A Tamer never walks away from danger?'"_

"Great. Now you're quoting Rika. Now I _know_ we're doomed…"

Ryo chuckled.

"Well, it wouldn't be the first time it's been tried," said Ryo as he looked down at Monodromon, who was now getting to his feet. Before anything else could happen, the air around them suddenly burst into a bright, pink light, and the two boys and digimon looked around them in amazement, at first not comprehending what it was that was going on around them until the light, strangely familiar to the two friends, brought home a memory to them from their last day in the digital world. The last time that they had seen this magnificent display, at least with this kind of intensity, had been that time in the canyon when they were trying to find Calumon, and they had their first encounter with the _Chaos_ , or the D-Reaper as it was more accurately known by the computer programmer known as _Shibumi_. Rika and Renamon had _literally_ taken a leap of faith to combat the malevolent program and had biomerged together, and with their newfound power of Sakuyamon, had managed to seal away the Chaos.

 _But that's neither here nor there right now,_ thought Ryo, as he stood transfixed by the light. A soft Sakura petal floated by him, slowly, gently on the wind before settling on the ground. Ryo looked at it, pondering it for a moment, chuckling at the irony of the image, as though something about the way the Sakura petal had landed said something about Rika's personality. How odd it was that the calmness that he felt in the air just now, the friendship and care, was perhaps one of the few emotions that were most difficult to associate with the Tamer that he regularly called _Wildcat._ It wasn't that he didn't think that she had those qualities it was just that she didn't show them often. But as he had just thought, that was neither here nor there. Ryo felt himself relax in the light and a small smile crept onto his face.

"We've won," Ryo said calmly, almost confidently, forgetting about all of his earlier worries in the radiance that they four of them stood in. "It's over."

"Huh?" Asked Kenta, a little confused. "You mean… that's it? But I just got here…"

"Pih!" Scolded MarineAngemon suddenly, and Kenta looked down at the ground shamefully.

"Yeah, you're right, buddy. I'm sorry. I didn't mean it…"

Ryo laughed lightly at the scene, remembering all the times that Kazu had complained about not understanding a single thing that went on between those two. Apparently the visor-wearing child didn't fully understand what it meant to be _partners_ to a digimon…

Suddenly the sound of something exploding rang out from where the battle had been centering, and the pink light winked out of existence.

Worry filled Ryo's heart and without even thinking the Legendary Tamer dashed forward. Upon seeing his Tamer take off so unexpectedly, Monodromon, surprised by the act, immediately stumbled forward in an attempt to follow the boy before quickly recovering his balance and then falling in sync with his strides. Kenta and MarineAngemon watched them go dumbly for a second before trading glances and then gave chase.

"Hey! Wait up!"

* * *

The dark Gallantmon's form, already weakened by the data being released from de-digivolving, slammed to the ground by the force of the attack, phasing in and out of stability as he landed before fragmenting and breaking apart, exposing a dark sphere of data containing a human boy within its embrace. As though Rika, Renamon, and MegaGargomon were watching a replay from the first time they had seen this happen, the dark sphere tore itself apart, unraveling in the same manner as the dark knight had until all that was left remaining, was the battered and bruised body of their friend Takato, lying chest down on the ground, unmoving and unresponsive to the world around him.

"TAKATO!" Henry shouted from within his emerald data sphere, his own voice mixing with that of Terriermon, Rika's, Renamon's, and Beelzemon's. Looking down, he saw the ex Demon Lord, alongside Rika and Renamon rushing towards Takato's inert form and instinctively he took a step forward as well. As he did so, a light caught his attention and Henry remembered that Lucemon was still there in the real world with them. Lucemon… the one who had harmed Takato not once, but _twice_ now…

Looking up at where the Celestial digimon hovered, drawing what looked to be the shards of data that had been released when the dark _Gallantmon_ had been destroyed, incorporating it into his body and fusing it with his own data. He was glowing too, a _lot_ more than a digimon normally would when loading data, but Henry didn't take any notice. All he knew was a rising anger that he felt burning within the depths of his soul. Anger over what he had just seen, what he had been _powerless_ to prevent. They were just about to… well, it didn't matter anymore. Only one thing did right now… only _one…_

As Henry watched Lucemon's form begin to change, he, as MegaGargomon, took a threatening step forward and the light within his data sphere began to darken to suit his emotions. He felt Terriermon gasp at the sudden change from within his human partner and call out his name cautiously, almost fearfully but he ignored the little dog bunny.

He was going to make Lucemon pay _dearly_ for his crimes…

Henry raised his arms and took aim.

* * *

"He's still alive," said Renamon, breathing a sigh of relief as she pulled her paw away from Takato's pulse. "But we'll have to get him to a hospital. His breathing is shallow… I don't know what kind of affect being separated from a digimon in so forceful a way twice in one week can have on a human body. Takato was lucky to not suffer any physical side affects the first time."

"He's so still…" said Rika, a touch of fear creeping into her voice as she carefully touched the side of the boy's face. She looked at Takato with a worry that she had felt before for Renamon when she had been injured, and then later for Jeri after she had lost Leomon. Why did this keep happening? She felt so disgusted with herself that at one point she had loved fighting, enjoyed being caught up in the adrenaline rush that came with risking one's life, but now… she had seen the ugly side to fighting far too many times to like it in the same way that she had used to, and the pain that it kept causing her friends and the world around her…

The feel of Renamon's paw being placed on her shoulder brought Rika back to reality.

"Rika. We have to get Takato out of he…"

"Say no more fox face," cut in Beelzemon as he picked the former goggle-wearing boy up into his arms, taking care not to scratch him with his claws. "I'll have him down to the hospital faster then…"

In what seemed like a never-ending string of interruptions, a light burst forth above the three companions, causing the trinity to look up and see what the source of the illumination was. In the sky above them, collecting the last bits of data from the now destroyed form of the dark knight version of Gallantmon, was the angelic digimon Lucemon, his body barely discernable in the light that was emanating from him as he drew the data into himself. Suddenly, the light brightened and Lucemon's form began to growl larger, lengthen… Renamon's eyes widened as she realized what was going on. Lucemon was _digivolving!_ Downloading the dark Gallantmon's data, the data of a _Mega_ digimon must have triggered its occurrence. It would only be a matter of moments before they would discover just what Lucemon had evolved into, and how powerful it was going to be in lieu of his previous level.

As the light died down, the angel digimon's new form was revealed for all to see. His appearance was now more adult like, larger with a stronger looking frame, lacking the child like fragility that he had borne previously, with an outfit that was two-tone in color, black and white mainly, and down his back were ten wings, one half angelic in appearance and the other half demonic to go along with them, as though matching the black and white clothing that he wore. And from his golden locks of hair, and ankle bracelets were another eight wings in the same arrangement, half and half angel and demon. His facial expression, having lost all child-like grace but still retaining something akin to a harsh youthfulness, remained as cold and as impassive as it had on the day that he had arrived in the real world, as though he were here to do nothing more then to take care of a dirty chore.

Then as she did now, Rika felt a burning anger awaken in her heart at the injustice of it all, at the treatment that one of her friends had received this past week because of a mistake that he had made. And it wasn't like he had actually followed through with it either! He had pulled back at the last second and tried to put a stop to everything, and had in the end become a force for good! But that hadn't been enough it seemed… not nearly enough…

Feeling her teeth grating against each other, Rika pulled out her blue trimmed digivice and stood up, determined to vent her own anger on this digimon that dared to call itself a protector of the digital world. Beside her, she could feel the same emotion coming from Beelzemon. Narrowing her eyes, Rika raised her D-Arc to the sky, preparing to biomerge with Renamon and take the fight to Lucemon's new form. He was doing something right now, a cloud of mist appeared in the sky above him and began to spread outwards… it looked like he was summoning a digital field; probably intending to return to the digital world now that he had finished what he had set out to do, glancing in Takato's direction as though pondering what he should do with the child before continuing with what he was doing. Rika didn't care though. She was beyond caring about what Lucemon was planning on. All she knew was that he had hurt one of her friends, and that she fully intended to pay him back in kind.

Before Rika could call out the words that would activate her biomerge with Renamon, Henry's enraged shout cut across the park, surprising the red headed girl with its intensity and the venom that it bore. Her eyes whirling over to where MegaGargomon stood, all anger seemed to leave her as she took in the form of her friend and fellow Tamer. There was something wrong here, Rika felt suddenly. _Very_ wrong. She couldn't tell for sure through the fog that had now settled upon the park, but it looked like MegaGargomon's armor had adopted a darker shade to it. He was still green though, but it was a _darker_ green from what she remembered.

 _Maybe it's a trick of the light,_ thought Rika absently, but something in MegaGargomon's, in _Henry's_ voice told her otherwise.

 _"Lucemon!"_ Shouted Henry, rage and bile thick in his words and earning him the angel's attention. _"How could you?! How could you_ do _this?! How could you do this to him?! Takato's done_ nothing _to you!"_

Lucemon simply stared back at the giant mecha, unmoved by his shout of rage.

"As I've told you Tamers time and time again," spoke Lucemon as though he were talking to a slow student. "The safety of the digital world is far more important than anything else. I am _sworn to protect its existence above all else, and there is nothing more important than seeing that any and all threats to the digital world are extinguished before they can grow to become a threat to it, no matter how minor they might seem."_

From within his data sphere Henry closed his eyes in frustration.

 _"How can you be so cold? How can you be so_ uncaring _about the things that you destroy? The lives that you take away? Guilmon… Takato…"_ Henry clutched his fists tightly as he felt his anger lay hold over him. Henry opened his eyes and glared at the angelic digimon.

 _"I'll make you hurt,"_ Henry growled, and down on the ground, Beelzemon, Rika, and Renamon gasped at his words. _"I'll make you feel the pain that you've caused. I'll make you_ pay!"

And with that, multiple compartments opened up all over MegaGargomon's body. Ignoring the protests of his partner, Henry took aim and let loose with everything that he had.

_"Mega Barrage!"_

* * *

_This is not good,_ thought Beelzemon as he watched MegaGargomon unload a salvo of missiles on Lucemon. He had to admit to having mixed feelings on how to respond to all of this. As angry as he was over what had happened to Takato, seeing this happening, seeing Henry lose his cool like this… it was reminding him all too much of what had happened back in the digital world after he had destroyed Leomon and Takato had given in to his anger and frustration. But there was also the fact that his comrade was now fighting Lucemon… or whatever form it was that he had taken after digivolving. Rika, the only Tamer presently available with a digivice had yet to make an identification as to Lucemon's new name and level, and anything else that it might have to go along with it. Looking over to Rika he saw that she had a deep, introspective look on her face as she watched the battle take place. Renamon watched her partner carefully, not wanting to make a move without her say so.

Beelzemon's claws itched. He had to do something. He couldn't just sit here…

Placing Takato gently on the ground, Beelzemon faced the scene of battle.

"Beelzemon?" Enquired Renamon carefully.

"I'm going in to help out MegaGargomon. I think it's about time that someone showed Lucemon that there are just some lines that you don't cross."

Renamon nodded, and with that Beelzemon took off, spreading his wings outward and drawing his shotgun from his holster, his sights set on Lucemon as the angelic digimon duck and wove between MegaGargomon's nearly inexhaustible supply of missiles with incredible ease. Beelzemon gritted his teeth.

 _Time to take out the trash,_ thought the Demon Lord as he drew closer.

* * *

Renamon looked carefully over at Rika, wondering what had to be going through her mind. She hadn't said a word since Henry's outburst and subsequent attack on Lucemon. In fact, she hadn't bothered to do _anything_ , not even check her digivice to see what powers and attacks that Lucemon had in his new form.

"Rika?" Asked Renamon carefully, but for some odd reason the girl didn't respond. Instead she continued to watch the battle as it raged before her, her eyes looking as though they were peering inwards.

* * *

"Any idea what's going on?" Asked Kazu to Ryo as they raced side by side. They had swiftly met up with each other shortly after the pink light had vanished and now they were deadlocked in a race to get to the danger zone, Jeri, Kenta, and MarineAngemon lagging behind them. Ryo shook his head as he looked at his all-blue D-Arc.

"Can't say that I do. I got taken out somewhere in between when I was fighting Lucemon, so I have no idea what else has developed since I came to. My D-Arc says that there's a big digimon out there, and he's trying to breach the barriers between the worlds, though it looks like he's headed in the opposite direction for some reason. Judging by the sounds, someone's keeping him from leaving."

"Isn't that like the opposite of what we normally want?"

"Usually, and I'm going to find out why."

With that, Ryo found a new burst of speed and was quickly joined by Monodromon. Raising his D-Arc to the sky, Ryo gave a call of _biomege activate_ , and within seconds the light of evolution overtook him. Shortly afterwards the heroic figure of Justimon leapt into the air.

Kazu shook his head in amazement.

"Man, he is _so_ cool! Wish I could do that… Guardromon… are your engine's fixed yet?"

"Sorry, but not yet."

"Aw man…"

* * *

_"Mega Barrage!"_ Cried out MegaGargomon as he once more fired dozens of missiles at Lucemon, to no avail. It didn't seem to matter what he did, the angelic digimon continued to dodge the weapons as though they were moving in slow motion. Beelzemon continued to fire away with his own shotgun but didn't seem to be having any more luck than he was. All the while, Lucemon never once lost his cold, unfeeling expression. Of course, this only increased Henry's rage and he continued to fire away, trying to hit his target. An orb of white energy shot out and struck Beelzemon, sending him rocketing away from the battle zone and crashing to the ground, but still Henry didn't care. His partner's cries and attempts to get his attention were far beyond him as well. The entire world in fact, seemed to revolve only around him and Beelzemon. He didn't even see the Justimon that was rocketing towards the fight, already blasting away with his Justice Burst attack, and Lucemon gave him the same response that he had shown Beelzemon. A simple blast of energy that knocked him out of the air, and out of the fight.

Now he was all MegaGargomon's.

His magazines running low, Henry switched tactics, giving only one last burst of missiles Henry rushed forward, preparing to go for a close range assault on the angel. And still, without showing any more emotion than a blank wall, Lucemon evaded each and every missile that was sent at him, and then flew towards MegaGargomon.

_"Paradise Lost Punch!"_

The next thing that Henry was aware of was a number of punches being delivered to his body at a rate that was impossible for him to quickly recover from. He tried to come up with a counter attack, but Lucemon moved to quickly, battering him relentlessly until suddenly he haulted with his punches and delivered a powerful kick that sent him careening upwards and then brought him crashing down to the ground. Not to be deterred, Henry once again opened up his missile tubes and weapon compartments, determined to do whatever it took to finish Lucemon off, and with a howl of unrestrained rage, let loose another barrage of missiles.

_"Mega Barrage!"_

The distance between Lucemon and the missiles was much shorter this time, leaving him with little time to react to their approach, and yet he didn't once lose his calm appearance. Instead his wings glowed white and black, and with one, great flap he redirected the path of the missiles and sent them flying off in different directions, exploding along the park indiscriminately, shattering trees and sending fragments of dirt and debris flying every which way, and still more missiles went soaring into the depths of the city, impacting against buildings and crashing into streets before going off. Not noticing, or perhaps not at all caring at the devastation that he was causing MegaGargomon surged back to his feet, the sound of Henry giving a loud and powerful cry as he rushed towards Lucemon, determined to end this battle and destroy his opponent at any cost.

His missile tubes rolled through their magazines and reloaded as he once again took aim, and a split second later more missiles were fired, and they streaked towards Lucemon, who watched them approach him impassively, neither of them mindful of the flash of light or the swift moving figure approaching the two combatants until it had imposed itself in between the oncoming missiles.

From within his data sphere, Henry's eyes widened in shock, his anger evaporating like rain after a storm as he saw a familiar figure place itself in front of Lucemon, raising a shield against his onslaught. How…? Why…? These questions raced through Henry's mind all in the blink of an eye, but it was now far too late to do anything about it. The missiles crossed the distance as quickly as lightning and impacted with the shield, causing Henry to cry out in surprise as he staggered on his feet.

_"Sakuyamon!"_

* * *

Rika had been watching the fight as it progressed, but at the same time not really seeing it, instead focusing inward and reflecting on all the events that had led her and her friends to this point. To say that she had been angered by what had been done to Takato was an understatement. She didn't think that there even was a word to describe just how mad she had been, and she had been more then willing to go after Lucemon and try to tear him limb from limb to exact retribution for what had happened… but Henry…

To hear that same kind of anger coming from Henry, the Tamer who had always preferred to find another way rather than fighting it out unless there was no other choice, the same Tamer who had preached pacifism and had been greatly saddened when, on the day that he had first became a Tamer, he had learned that he had hurt innocent digimon in what he had thought to be a game, and never took any action lightly. The same Henry who thought more with his head than with his heart, preferring to take the more logical course of action and think things through carefully before committing to anything. To hear him sound the way he did, the same way that Beelzemon had when he was trying to kill them back in the digital world, the same way that Takato had sounded when he had lost it in the fight against Beelzemon shortly after Leomon had been destroyed… Rika had to admit; it was pretty unnerving and distressing to witness.

_Is this what Ryo saw when he stopped me from trying to destroy Lucemon the first time?_

Looking into herself, Rika thought about how she had felt about all this, how she felt about everything that had been happening, all the pain and anger, and… Rika's eyes settled on the park around her. Much of it, at least in this area, had been laid waste. Holes from large feet stamping the ground and special attacks being launched littered the area. The charred and broken remains of trees were scattered… God knew if there was anyone hurt or killed in all of this fighting, especially with the amount of firepower that MegaGargomon had been unleashing since joining the battle.

Rika found herself hating what she was seeing, what she had felt, and hating it even more for coming out of Henry, who had always been something of a monument of peace and calm in her eyes. Turning back to the battle, Rika watched the battle progress a little bit longer before she looked over at Renamon. The vulpine digimon looked back, her azure eyes meeting Rika's violet ones as if she could tell what it was that the young girl was thinking before finally nodding, as though in silent agreement.

Making a decision, Rika and Renamon rushed forward, Rika raising her D-Arc as she did so, and a second later the two of them were enveloped in the light of evolution.

* * *

_"SAKUYAMON!"_ Shouted Henry frantically from within his data sphere as his missiles impacted with the shaman digimon's _Crystal Sphere_. The world seemed to become silent all of a sudden, and Henry waited for the dust to settle, fear hammering away in his chest as the full realization at what had just happened impacted with him.

 _I don't believe it… I… Sakuyamon… Rika and Renamon… I… I may have just_ killed _them. It's all my fault…_

The smoke began to clear a bit, and Henry waited, praying that Sakuyamon was all right, cursing himself for giving in to his rage and anger. Even though Sakuyamon had type advantage over him, he wasn't sure if she could withstand all of those missiles that he had fired. All he could do now was wait and pray…

 _If anything's happened to them I'll never forgive myself…_ thought Henry as he peered into the smoke, trying to see any sign of his two friends. For the first time, Henry finally realized, Terriermon was rendered speechless.

Henry let out a sigh of relief as the drifting smoke finally revealed Sakuyamon, a little battered from the fire and shrapnel that had managed to get through her shield, but otherwise intact. She was floating in front of Lucemon, who for the first time wore a startled expression on his face. Clearly he hadn't been expecting this to happen.

"Sakuyamon…" began Henry, his voice trembling a little at the memory of what he had just come dangerously close to doing.

"Just let him go, Henry," said Sakuyamon in Rika's voice. "I think that there's been enough damage for one day."

Henry regained himself, feeling his temper rise.

"What? You're planning on _letting him go_? After what he had just done? Since when…?"

 _"Look around you, Henry!"_ Sakuyamon shouted suddenly, letting her own temper get the best of her this time as she tried to get the boy to see what had been going on. "Do you see what's happened here? All the damage that's been caused? People are _hurting_ out here right now, and continuing _this_ particular fight isn't going to solve anything _except_ get more people hurt…"

"This is what we do though," said Henry, trying to find the proper counter argument, though he was beginning to feel his resolve faltering. "Things like this happen in fights with digimon…"

Henry halted as he analyzed what he was saying. The cloud of anger had lifted just enough for him to think clearly.

_Since when have I ever justified violence like that? Sure, I know to expect things like this but I've always wanted to believe that there was a better way to handle things without resorting to violence, or even going so low as to try and get revenge…_

"But like what you were doing Henry? I thought that we were supposed to be better than that…"

Henry stood there for a moment, letting Rika's words sink in, and looking within himself, and letting the memories of the past few moments flow through his mind. In his rage he had tried to destroy a digimon who had hurt his friend, not once but twice. It was an understandable reaction, given the amount of stress that he had been under this past week trying to help Takato and dealing with the anger over Takato's loss, and it had been facilitated even more by the close bond that they shared as Tamers and as friends, showing just how strong their connection was but… he had nearly killed another friend. Hadn't even noticed her in fact. He might as well have pointed a gun at her on purpose and pulled the trigger… all because of his desire to get revenge.

He remembered Takato's reaction to Leomon's dying, and how he had created Megidramon as a result of that anger, being so solely focused on making Beelzemon suffer that he didn't care what happened or who he hurt just to do it. His actions that day had wrought far more consequences than he had initially thought. How close his own actions today had paralleled Takato's…

_"What have I done…?"_

_"Momentai, Henry,"_ whispered the voice of Terriermon in Henry's ear as the boy began to cry within his sphere of green data. A bright light enveloped MegaGargomon's form and after a brief moment it died down, revealing a disheveled and distraught Henry Wong kneeling on the ground with Terriermon sitting on his shoulder, trying to comfort him, whispering _momentai_ over and over in a soothing voice within the scene of waste and devestation. Off to the side, Justimon staggered out into the area, leaning against a tree line while behind Henry, Beelzemon appeared, looking equally bruised and battered. And even further off, Jeri Katou, Kenta Kitagawa, MarineAngemon, Guardromon and Kazu Shioda were just now entering the park, looking around them in amazement. Jeri quickly spied Takato's inert form and with a cry ran to him, swiftly followed by the other four. Jeri fell onto her knees and gently took the boy's head and laid it on her lap, tears falling from her face as she did so while MarineAngemon flew up, getting ready to deliver his own brand of first aid.

* * *

All this Lucemon saw.

He was no expert on humans, that much was certain, but in his battle against MegaGargomon he had felt a great deal of anger coming from the boy, almost on the same level as what he had felt unleashed in the digital world, only without the amplification and personification that the digital world was normally capable of doing with such strong and powerful emotions. He analyzed the entire situation in his mind, replaying each event as he did so. The reactions of each opponent, the feelings that he could sense beating upon the air, and what he himself was now picking up from the data of the Great Beast that he had recently absorbed. The thoughts of the boy who had so briefly been merged with him…

Lucemon turned to look at the Sakuyamon who still floated in front of him. He nodded to her respectfully, now having a far greater understanding of what had happened in the digital world when Megidramon was first created. Sakuyamon's mouth became angry and viscous. He could sense the amount of anger that was held within her, as well as the glare that was hidden by the mask that she wore.

"Get out of here," Sakuyamon hissed at him venomously. "And don't _ever_ let us catch you back here again!"

Lucemon inclined his head to her, bowing slightly.

"Of course, my _queen_ …"

And before the shaman digimon could do anything else, Lucemon reached out into the layers of the digital field that he had called up, and the real world vanished around him, being replaced by the vast network of computer data.

Off in the distance, just near the edge of the treeline, a young girl gaped at this series of events.

* * *

Noriko Nakata staggered away from the battlefield, completely overwhelmed by the things that she had just witnessed. Lucemon… he… Noriko couldn't take it anymore. To believe that she had helped _care_ for that monster! And what had he done? He had gone and fought the Tamers… apparently murdered one of them… ever since she first found Lucemon she had harbored illusions and fantasies of him being like the angels from stories… always loving, caring about others and the world around them… and instead he had shown the opposite of those qualities. Cold, ruthless even… attacking without even a hint of mercy and uncaring as to who he hurt if they got in his way…

Why…?

Why…?

Why had she…?

Why did she let herself believe…?

The world around her became misty as her eyes began to tear up. The mist thickened… and the world around her began to change…

She would have plenty of time to reflect on the decisions that had brought her to this point in her life…

* * *

"The Wild One is… _returning_ to the digital world," said Rielly, stunned surprise plainly evident in her voice. Yamaki flicked his lighter closed.

"Good," said the blonde haired head of Hypnos. "Stand down on all systems and sound the all clear. Send in med-evac and disaster relief teams to the disaster zone as quickly as possible. And get me in touch with the Chief Cabinet Secretary… I'm sure that he's going to want a full and detailed report on this…"

"Yes sir."

Yamaki exited the central control room of Hypnos, letting go of a breath that he hadn't known that he was holding. It would seem that ultimately disaster had been averted, though not without the usual amount of structural and property damage that came with such occurrences, but that was to be expected. The head of Hypnos reflected on everything that had occurred, suspecting that he would no doubt hear about it from his superiors for not getting involved when he should have, depending more on the Tamers to do the job that he had done in the past.

But what could he say? He had faith in those children. More faith than he'd ever admit, and they had proven themselves more than capable of rising to the task in the past against digimon that he himself had been unable to defeat with all the resources of Hypnos at his disposal. He'd get through it though. The people upstairs relied on him far too much to do the jobs that they themselves were unwilling to do so as to avoid public scandal. Fools, he thought of them, but sometimes they were intelligent, and even dangerous fools. But at the moment there was something else on his mind, the question of the Tamers. He hadn't received any word from Henry or Rika since they had engaged the dark Gallantmon and were intruded upon by the data signature of the Wild One from earlier this week… Lucemon. The Wild One had managed to return to the digital world after a brief period of battle, its own energy levels _growing_ exponentially shortly before it opened a portal between the worlds and escaped. What did that mean for the Tamers? What had happened to them? Were they all right? Or were they…?

The sound of Yamaki's footsteps echoing upon the hallway was the only answer that Yamaki received. Heading towards a nearby elevator, the blonde haired head of Hypnos and stepped inside, flicking his lighter open once more, and then closed it in tune with the elevator doors at the exact same moment.

_Click._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The chapter title, 'Under the Same Sky', comes from the ancient Confucian saying from Chinese philosophy, "No man can live under the same sky as the murderer of their father. In Japan, the Samurai code of Bushido extended it to incorporate master as well, as the lord of the clan that they served was regarded as both the father of his clan in addition to being the leader. Although Bushido has since lost its meaning in modern times with the disappearance of the Samurai class from contemporary society, it wasn't that much of a leap of imagination to believe that, had it still been a cultural force outside of stories and movies, the saying would again have been extended to include close friends. Henry, with his heritage drawing from both China and Japan, as well as his own interests in the martial arts and its disciplines, I felt was perfect for this chapter title that I had chosen (I've always wanted to use 'Under the Same Sky' as a working title), as well as his character (and also to show the strength and depth of friendship that Henry had for Takato). Anyway, hope that you enjoyed this latest installment. 'Till next time then.


	36. Closing the Circle

Takato groaned lightly as he shifted his legs, his senses just beginning to wake up with the rest of him. He could hear voices around him… familiar voices. Voices that he felt _comfortable_ with. Ones that brought back warm, happy memories…

A small smile grew on his face and he shifted once more beneath… hold on. Takato furrowed his brow in confusion.

_Why do I feel bed sheets?_

A steady _beeping_ noise reached his ears, intermingling with the voices that he had been hearing. There was a feeling of calm and comfort in the atmosphere around him. He heard one voice make a joke… sounded pretty dumb. Something involving _chickens_ …

 _Only Kazu could tell jokes that bad,_ thought Takato distractedly as he slowly cracked his eyes open, getting a good look at the world around him. His first glimpse was that of a white, tiled ceiling. Lowering his gaze revealed to him that yes, there were other people in the room with him. Some adults, other kids his age, and strange creatures that were otherwise known to the world at large as digimon. For a moment nothing came to him as to what their identities were and in that moment he began to fear that he had amnesia or something, but that moment passed swiftly and memories began to impart on him the identities of each and every person that was in the room with him. Henry, Rika, Kazu, Kenta, Renamon, Terriermon, MarineAngemon, Yamaki, Rielly, Ryo, Impmon… no Guardromon or Cyberdramon, but then they were too big to fit into the room anyway, and it was cramped enough as it was…

Takato felt a hand gently squeeze his own and he turned to see who it belonged to, his eyes resting on the soft, gentle eyes of…

 _Jeri…_ Takato's mind whispered as he began to sit up.

"He's awake guys," said the brown haired girl, the unmistakable sound of relief in her voice as a smile spread its way on her face and suddenly everyone was congregating around his bed.

"About time," said the red haired girl, Rika as she smirked at him and crossed her arms. "You gave Jeri quite the scare earlier. I was tempted to smack you just out of principle for that…"

Takato felt his face scrunch up in confusion. That certainly had not been the kind of reaction that he had been expecting. Next to him Jeri giggled.

A dark haired boy wearing an orange vest, Henry, coughed politely at Rika's joke, smiling lightly as he looked at the boy in the hospital bed.

"How are you doing Takato?" Henry asked.

Takato raised his eyes back up to the ceiling, pausing for a moment to take in the tiles that lined it as he considered his friend's question. Just how _did_ he feel? There wasn't any pain… at least nothing physical as far as he could tell. Well… okay, he _did_ feel a little bit sore, especially in the area around his face as though someone had punched him, but those feelings were more in the background so they were barely noticeable. But aside from that he felt… _empty_ inside. Like something was missing. And he felt tired on top of that. Very tired, yet at the same time, in a rather cruel sense of irony, too tired to even sleep.

 _Probably because I did enough of that already,_ thought Takato glumly as he returned his gaze to his friends, looking over each and every one of them as he did so, grateful to have each and every one of them as his friend. Almost without realizing it, his eyes settled on the red haired Tamer known as Rika, and the world seemed to freeze for a moment as a memory came to him…

* * *

_Anger. Rage. Darkness. That was all that he knew. All that he ever seemed to know in fact. His own name, his identity were long forgotten now once the battle had started, and now all he could do was react, feeling a fire burning from within his heart, feeding him strength as he fought. He had just taken down the giant war machine when the shaman digimon attacked him, surprisingly putting up a good fight despite being at a type disadvantage. But there was something else. As soon as he saw the shaman flying towards him, ready to do battle with him memories came unbidden to his mind. Places, a parking garage, a park path… in each of them there was a red haired girl and a yellow furred fox wearing purple gloves, threatening him. No… threatening his partner. Trying to destroy him. His best friend, saying how digimon were nothing more than data, and that he and his friend were nothing more than mere stepping stones to her. A cold anger awoke in the dark knights heart, feeding the fires that already burned within him, giving him even greater strength as he and the shaman fought, both striving for victory over the other._

_Was she still trying to delete him? Still trying to load his data? Was that why they were fighting here and now? Something in him told the dark knight that this digimon were that same girl and fox that he remembered, only merged. Just like… he was? It was so hard to think. All he knew was the rage, the anger of it all. He couldn't afford to think right now. He had only one priority. To defeat his enemies as they came to him. Anything else would come after he had claimed victory over their broken bodies. Anyone who threatened him deserved no less. No mercy. No forgiveness…_

_With a cry of never ending rage from the deepest depths of his soul, Takato… ChaosGallantmon, noticed that the Sakuyamon seemed to be distracted by something. Taking his chance, the dark knight charged forward, pulling his lance back as he prepared to strike down his foe._

* * *

Takato jerked his eyes away as he felt shame well up in his heart. He… he had tried to kill Rika and Renamon… he had even hurt Henry and Terriermon. They had tried to help him through his grief and what had he done for them in payment? Sure, he had not entirely been in control of his actions, but they were still his actions regardless, and BlackGuilmon, as much as he hated to admit it, _was_ every bit a part of him as Guilmon had been before he died… everything that he had felt when he and BlackGuilmon had merged were his and his alone. All the anger, frustration, fury…

He had felt such emotions back when they had first met, and to know that they still had that kind of power over him was rather unnerving to him.

It took him a second to realize that Henry was trying to get his attention.

"Huh? Oh! Uh… sorry about that Henry. Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine. I feel… _fine…_ "

"Good to hear," said Yamaki, finally entering the conversation. "I've looked over the doctor reports from when they brought you in. They still have to finish their analysis but from what they do know at the moment they say that you were lucky to come out of this as you did. They believe that you'll make a full recovery but it's likely that you'll be kept overnight so as to make sure that nothing unexpected occurs…"

As Yamaki continued on, saying that he had sent for his parents and that they should be arriving soon (though it was likely that there would be some detours taken due to all the damage that had been caused by the fighting) Takato lay back in the hospital bed and let his mind drift. He felt Jeri's hand squeeze his own gently, and the boy smiled lightly, but as memories from the past week, particularly the fight from today drifted through his mind, the smile didn't reach his eyes.

* * *

The sun shone down on the Matsuki Bakery, the light glinting off the sign and reflecting off the shops front window where many a pastry sat, tempting customers with their delicious appearance and sweet smells. Up on the bakery's roof the noble form of the nine tailed kitsune known as Kyubimon with her partner, Rika sitting on her back phased into view, appearing as if by magic before leaping down into the small alley that led into the bakery's side door. Rika looked around carefully before climbing down from off her partner, caressing the side of her face for a moment as she took a moment to think things through.

Two days. It had been two days since the day that the BlackGuilmon had been destroyed. Some schools had been closed down due to the damage that had been caused by all the fighting as well as some roads and most of the area around the park as well. Though Rika's own private school hadn't had the luck of closing down like that of her other friends, her mother, Rumiko, had called her in sick anyway. A strange thing to do Rika felt, but was nonetheless grateful for her mother's decision. If nothing else, it gave her the opportunity to finish up on some business that she had yet to take care of.

Poking out of the top of her back pocket was a pair of yellow trimmed goggles. Reaching over to them, Rika touched the familiar item with a tenderness that belied her usual attitude, and with a soft gaze she turned her lavender eyes up to the familiar window that led up to Takato's room. She had been meaning to return his property to him for a while now, but events just kept getting in the way. That and she had wanted to return his property to him personally, and without anyone else around, which was why she had shown up when she did, at a time that it was most likely that the others wouldn't be up and already on their way, and if they were they would have to detour around the park due to the repair work that was being done there, which would take a bit of time, which was one reason why she had ridden over on Kyubimon. It wasn't so much that she cared what the others might think if they saw her give Takato his own goggles, but more that she didn't want them asking him any questions about why he had left them in Guilmon's former den to begin with, and she would just as soon return them and leave it at that, putting the whole thing behind them so that they could all move on. Asking the Gogglehead why he had deserted his goggles might bring up all sorts of questions, questions that he might not want to answer.

With a small smile and a nod at her partner, Kyubimon, Rika walked up to the entrance to the Matsuki Bakery and went inside, taking off her shoes before enquiring as to Takato's whereabouts and quickly being directed to his room. With a word of thanks, Rika began to climb the stairway, the sound of her feet echoing within the hallway until she finally came to a halt in front of his doorway, pausing only to take a deep breath before knocking lightly on its surface and turning the knob.

* * *

Takato sat on the floor of his room, sitting next to the glass door that led to his rooms porch outside leaning slightly against the doors edge, staring at a blank sheet of paper in his sketchbook as he pondered on what to draw, but not entirely sure what to do or where to go. It was a reversal of his usual habit to sit at his desk and lose himself in his imagination but he really couldn't help it this time. The spot of sun that shone in down on his floor looked so inviting, and he was more in a nostalgic mood anyway, preferring more to think and let himself drift rather than to do any actual drawing anyway…

A shadow blew across his sheet of paper, causing Takato to blink in surprise and look outside. Seeing nothing however that could have caused the sudden occurrence Takato went back to his sketchbook, his mind once again setting sail upon the sea of thought, a light breeze pushing the ship of his mind forward as it rocked gently upon the water.

Curious thing though, Takato noted absently, the area around Hypnos seemed to be glowing a little bit green today, but with the sun beating down on his window pane he passed it off as just his imagination.

Time crawled by slowly, and Takato breathed a heavy sigh as he tapped the top of his pencil against the paper, hoping to find some inspiration, and finally he set the tip on the pad and began to sketch, slowly, carefully, and soon enough the familiar lines of Guilmon's face began to take shape. Takato paused at this now, swallowing a painful lump that had suddenly appeared in his throat. Memories of the crimson dinosaur played in the back of his mind and Takato's face softened as he once again was reminded that his best friend was no longer there with him. Thoughts of trying once again to rescan his drawing were furthest from his mind. After what he had experienced two days ago he could no longer trust that doing so would have the right affect, the effect that he wanted anyway. Maybe it was really time to move on now… Takato looked at the drawing once more, not liking the thought but feeling helpless to do otherwise. Guilmon was gone… as much as he hated to admit it Guilmon wasn't coming back, and there was no digital portal that he could go through to bring him back. His days as a Tamer were over.

_Oh Guilmon…_

The sound of someone knocking at his door startled Takato out of his reverie. Turning his head, Takato saw his door open and in walked perhaps the one person that he didn't expect to see…

"Rika…" Takato said softly, unable to hide the surprise in his voice as the red haired girl entered the room and smiled at him.

"Hey Takato," said Rika in a tone that sounded too soft for how she normally tended to be, but then she had been that way towards him an awful lot in the past few days. "Need some company?"

Takato blinked in surprise before nodding, still a little stunned but quickly recovering. "Huh? Uh… Oh! Yeah. Sure. Um… Thanks."

Returning Takato's nod Rika padded on over to the boy and set herself down on the floor next to him. The two sat in silence for a moment; Rika regarding the boy carefully while Takato returned his attention to his sketchpad, occasionally glancing over at the girl with an expression of uncertainty. The air seemed to become tense as they sat there. Rika, quickly picking up on that tension, and the silence, felt the need to break it and quickly did so.

"So… how're you holding up? Since I last saw you I mean…"

"Huh? Oh… you know… the usual. This and that, trying to stay occupied… and… uh… stuff…"

Takato gave a light, nervous laugh, to which Rika returned with a small smile before reaching behind her, digging into her back pocket and bringing out a pair of yellow trimmed goggles, handing them over to Takato, who once again blinked in surprise, as well as stunned amazement at what he was seeing.

 _I thought that those were gone for good,_ the boy's thoughts echoed in his mind as he carefully took the goggles from his friend.

"I came here to return those to you," said Rika once Takato had taken the goggles from her. "I found them in Guilmon's den a little while ago, the day that… well… anyway, I thought that you might want them back, so here you go."

Takato's face softened as he held the yellow goggles in his hand for a moment, his crimson colored eyes tracing over them before he turned his gaze to Rika and smiled at her.

"Thanks," he said, his spirits feeling a little bit lighter now, and Rika once again smiled back at the boy.

"No problem," the fiery Tamer said. Another moment passed, during which Takato set the goggles down on the floor next to him and returned to his sketch book, the drawing of Guilmon still as yet unfinished, and likely to remain so. He… Takato sighed mentally. He didn't feel like drawing anymore…

Rika watched Takato carefully, a little bit surprised that he hadn't decided to put his goggles on after going so long without wearing them. There were times past where she had thought that they were glued to his forehead or something as she had rarely seen him go anywhere without them. Raising her eyes to his face, Rika traced over his expression, noting the look of sadness that pervaded it before glancing down at his drawing pad. Her curiosity piqued the girl scooted closer to the boy to get a better look at what he was doing.

"Drawing Guilmon?" Asked Rika as she noted the familiar, child like eyes, bat-like ears and strange fin like objects attached to the side of his face. Takato nodded.

"Yeah. I'm just… I don't know. I'm just trying to work a few things out… wasn't really planning on doing anything and Guilmon appeared." Takato sighed. "I'm probably not going to continue with it anyway…"

Rika raised an eyebrow.

"Giving up, Gogglehead? You've never done that before."

"I'm not!" Takato exclaimed a little heatedly, before blanching a little at his tone. It wasn't often that he reacted like that, least of all to Rika, as she would most likely kick his butt for talking that way to her. But then, she had yet to follow through on any of the threats that she had made towards him so…

_Why's she smiling?_

"Good to hear," said Rika, throwing an arm over his shoulder, giving him a light, companionable squeeze that caused the boy to blush lightly at the treatment. "I'd hate to see you just quit like that, 'cause if you did I'd have to hurt you."

Rika fixed Takato with a gaze that was both firm, yet oddly comforting.

"I think you should finish your drawing."

Takato met Rika's violet gaze for a moment, once again amazed at how she was helping him even when he didn't believe that he deserved it. The past few days… they just weren't his most shining moment that was for sure, and his own actions had put everyone in danger. Heck, he had tried to kill Rika and Renamon not too long ago…

That last thought brought Takato up short and he looked away, once more feeling shame for his actions. Rika took notice and tightened her hold on him, rubbing his shoulder gently as she did so.

"Hey. What's up?"

"I… I just… I don't deserve you guys. I put you all in danger, tried to hurt you, and…"

"Gogglehead?" Rika interrupted, now sounding a little bit irritated. "Shut up and stop feeling sorry for yourself already, will ya? What you did last week… trust me. I understand we're you were coming from. Losing a friend like that… losing Guilmon… it's hard on you. It was hard on Jeri when she had to go through it also. It's not like you're a special case where you had to react differently. We all mourn in our own ways. Should you have done things differently? Yeah, but none of us are going to blame you about what happened. As for the fight… you said that you were overwhelmed by anger over Guilmon's death…"

"Not just Guilmon's death!" Takato blurted out, surprising Rika into silence with his outburst. She waited for the boy to continue. Takato took a deep, shaky, breath before continuing.

"It was much more than that. Every emotion… every feeling of anger that I ever felt… towards people… towards the world… I felt them all at once when I had joined with BlackGuilmon. I couldn't tell left from right, I could barely even remember who I was or that I was even friends with any of you. In fact, when I saw you, all I could think of… all I could… I…"

Takato's voice trailed off a bit as he fought to get what he was trying to say out of him. Rika once more squeezed his shoulder to encourage him, as well as to comfort him, letting him know that he could say it, whatever it was that was bothering him.

Takato swallowed nervously.

"…All I could think of was the day that we first met, and you had tried to load Guilmon's data…"

Takato closed his eyes, and let a lone tear trace its way down his face. Her expression softening, Rika reached over with her left hand and wiped it away, causing the boy to look at her in surprise, remembering the last time that she had done something like that for him.

"Takato," began the red haired girl in a calm voice. "That's all in the past now. I wasn't exactly a good person then, and things have changed since then. At that time I would say that I probably would have deserved getting bashed around like that, but things are different now. I don't see you guys as the competition like I used to. We're friends, and that means that we forgive each other for the stupid things that we've done against to the other, just like I forgive you for trying to hurt me. However, given the circumstances, let's just say that we were making up for lost time, and then forget about it, because it's not worth dwelling upon."

Takato looked at Rika, again surprised, and surprised that she kept finding a way to do that to him even after all this time that they had known each other. Still… it made him feel good that she didn't harbor any bad feelings over their battle.

Rika continued.

"If it makes you feel any better, Henry and I didn't know that you had joined with BlackGuilmon until well after we had attacked you, so I'd say that you had every reason to be angry. But don't do it again. I'll have to hurt you even more if you do…"

Takato frowned.

"What's that mean?"

Rika looked at the boy, her violet eyes teasing and she smirked at him.

"Let's just say that you have a glass jaw when it comes to getting punched."

"Hey!"

Rika chuckled a little at the boy before their eyes met once again, staring into the other. There was no anger between them, no hard feelings, sadness, or any other form of negative emotion. All that was there now was… friendship, and the relief that comes with knowing that the other is all right, or at least will be given enough time. Rika was glad now, seeing and knowing that Takato was going to be all right. All that she and the others had to do was help him get through the rest of his pain… not alone but with all of them supporting him through their friendship…

Without even realizing it, Rika leaned forward towards the boy, her violet eyes closing as she did so, and a second later she showed him just how far the depth and strength of their friendship ran.

Her lips met his tenderly at first, brushing lightly against Takato's before pressing gently onto them as a tingle that she could only describe as _electricity_ ran down her spine, and with it came a feeling similar to what she had experienced when she had merged with Renamon to become Sakuyamon. A comforting warmth filled her heart and swiftly spread throughout her body and she deepened the kiss, feeling Takato stiffen in surprise against her as she did so. An eternity seemed to pass by, an eternity that was far too short in Rika's eyes as she pulled away and looked into Takato's eyes, noting his surprise as well as the deep redness of his face, a redness that she was sure was reflected on her own as well. A small smile slowly spread across Rika's face as she carefully took Takato's hand into her own. A feeling of worry over what she had just wrought made itself known in her heart, but for now she ignored it. No doubt she would be hearing from it later, but until then she was content to let the moment be, and to exist in that moment for however long she was able to as a feeling of contentment spread throughout her.

"R-Rika…?" Began Takato, his voice trembling slightly. He had _not_ been expecting this from her… not at all… "W…wha…?"

"Takato," began Rika quietly with a shake of her head. "Just… shut up for now… okay? Just… shut up…"

Her words, though harsh sounding in terms of choice, were not so in usage as her voice carried a tenderness that she had only shown to Renamon and Jeri in the past… and now she had shared it with Takato.

Pulling the boy closer to her until he was almost leaning on her, Rika rested her head on top of his as she closed her eyes, one lone tear making its way out and rolling down her cheek.

"Stupid Gogglehead…" Rika whispered as they sat there together, in the light of Shinjuku's rising sun.

Off in the distance, the building that was the central headquarters to the government organization known as Hypnos flashed once, briefly as an emerald light enveloped it, and then returned quietly to normal, as though nothing had happened.

* * *

 _All done,_ thought Shibumi as he finished typing in the last few commands on his keyboard before reaching over and taking a sip from his coffee mug. After many hours of painstakingly sitting in front of this computer screen, running through various programs, simulations, data scans, file recognition programs and modifications he was finally finished with his project. As he had suspected, it had taken him longer without the use of the BlackGuilmon to help him, but as he had told Yamaki before, he was confident that he could pull it off. He had to admire the man really, creating the Juggernaut. Nasty little program that it was, it certainly had its uses just like it did back during D-Reaper. Just like it did now. A digital portal that sucked up data like a vacuum cleaner modified just enough to grab small bits and pieces of data rather than mass collections of it so that it wouldn't affect the Tamer's digimon. Now all he could do now was wait and see what happened… if the second part of the program worked and if his theory was right…

Rings of data began to coalesce on his computer screen, growing in number as the information was fed directly into the software. Shibumi's eyes widened as hope filled his heart and he mentally crossed his fingers. The data continued to gather until finally, after a few minutes, connections were made and solidified. A second later an image of an egg with red spots appeared on the screen, and a smile appeared on Shibumi's face.

 _Now this is where things get interesting…_ thought Shibumi as he raised his hands back to the keyboard and began typing away once more, preparing his computers diagnostic programs for a complete and full analysis of the digi-egg.

 _There's always reason to hope,_ thought Shibumi as he busily typed away on his keyboard, the sounds of keys being tapped the only noise that echoed in the room, a sound of hope for the future, and all the surprises that it held.

The End


End file.
